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heartless-aro · 1 year ago

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Some Thoughts on Aspec Identity, Pathologization, and Disability

A lot of asexual and aromantic activism involves dismantling the notion that being asexual and/or aromantic is NOT a mental illness or medical condition, and while this is 100% true, it’s important that we in the aromantic and asexual communities recognize how our community is intrinsically linked to the disabled community. The fact of the matter is that, even though there is nothing inherently pathological about aromanticism or asexuality, our identities have historically been pathologized by society and are still often pathologized to this day.

The very first time I heard the word “asexual” used in mainstream media was in 2012 in an episode of House M.D., titled “Better Half.” For anyone who hasn’t seen it, the episode featured a side plot where an asexual couple comes into the clinic for a bladder infection, and the protagonist, Dr. House, decides that he wants to find a “medical cause” for their asexuality. This isn’t entirely unusual for the show, since a major part of House’s character is that he’s somewhat of an asshole who says a lot of blatantly offensive things and attempts to find medical causes for anything and everything. However, what makes this notable is that the subplot was resolved by House actually finding a medical cause for the patient’s asexuality and curing him of said asexuality. It was then revealed that the patient’s wife had been lying about being asexual to make her husband happy.

This was before Yasmin Benoit (an alternative fashion model who is among the most prolific asexual and aromantic community activists) publicly came out as aroace. This was before Bojack Horseman and Koisenu Futari and the 2015 Jughead comics (i.e., the ones where Jughead is confirmed to be asexual). For many people, this episode of House M.D., where asexuals are portrayed as being either liars or people who can and should be “cured,” was their first exposure to the concept of asexuality.

While this was just one episode of one tv show, it is a symptom of a much larger issue relating to the pathologization of asexuality and aromanticism. Take, for example, Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD) which was defined by the following criteria in the DSM IV-TR:

A — “persistently or recurrently deficient (or absent) sexual fantasies and desire for sexual activity”

B — “marked distress or interpersonal difficulty.”

There are certainly plenty of cases where HSDD is unrelated to asexuality and is something that causes very real struggles for the person suffering from it; I won’t deny the experiences of these people by claiming that HSDD is “just asexuality” and shouldn’t be considered a disorder at all. The reason I bring up HSDD, however, is because it has often been used to pathologize asexual patients. It wasn’t until 2013 that the DSM-5 was released and changed the diagnostic criteria to include the caveat that “If a lifelong lack of sexual desire is explained by self-identification as ‘asexual,’ then a diagnosis of female sexual interest/arousal disorder would not be made.”

While this is a step in the right direction, the addition of this caveat has not people from pathologizing asexuality. A 2015 study (linked at the bottom of the post) by Dr. Lori A. Brotto, Morag A. Yule, and Dr. Boris B. Gorzalka notes that “Various theories have been proposed to explain how asexuality should best be classified, and some have maintained that asexuality is an extreme variant of hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD)—a sexual dysfunction characterized by a lack of interest in sex and significant distress. To date, this has never been empirically examined.” (The study in question sought to empirically examine this very issue and found that “there are notable differences between AIS >40 individuals (those likely to identify as asexual) and those who meet diagnostic criteria for HSDD.”). Another article (also linked at the bottom of the post), which was written by Dr. Lori A. Brotto and Sonia Milani, states that “Various theories have been proposed to classify asexuality as a mental disorder, a sexual dysfunction, or a paraphilia.” This is all without even getting into older ideas like the concept of “sexual frigidity,” which also may have led to many asexual and aromantic people being seen as disordered.

While there is much less information on how aromanticism, specifically, has been pathologized, it’s pretty well known within the aromantic and asexual communities that people outside out our communities often group us together or consider aromanticism a subset of asexuality, so the pathologization of asexuality also affects the way aromantic people are perceived. Not to mention the fact that, historically, people who chose to remain single, and especially women who chose to remain single, were often seen as deviant or unnatural.

Regardless of whether or not we, as individuals, are actually disordered, we are often viewed as being disordered solely on the basis of our aspec identities. Furthermore, there is a lot of actual overlap between the aspec community and the disabled community. While similar research has not yet been conducted in relation to aromanticism (in fact, there is very little research at all on aromanticism), studies of asexuality have found some evidence that asexuality may be associated with both autism and schizoid personality disorder. (And, not to bring up anecdotal evidence or anything, but I have often noticed myself that the vast majority of people in online schizoid communities seem to be asexual, aromantic, or both.)

Additionally, disabled people, particularly those who are physically, intellectually, and/or developmentally disabled, are often desexualized by society and assumed by default to be incapable of having romantic and sexual relationships, experiencing sexual or romantic feelings, or understanding sex and romance. As a result, they are affected by many of the same stigmas as asexual and aromantic people, regardless of whether or not they’re aromantic and/or asexual (in addition to all the other forms of ableism that they face).

All this is to say that the asexual and aromantic communities share a lot of common ground with the disabled community. This makes it all the more important that we fight against ableism and stand in solidarity with our disabled siblings, both inside and outside aspec communities. Moreover, this makes it all the more important that we recognize the prevalence of disabled people in the asexual and aromantic communities and acknowledge the ways aspec identity and disability can intersect.

So, here’s to all the disabled aces and aros out there. Here’s to the disabled aspec people who have been treated as broken or pitied. Here’s to the nonpartnering disabled aspecs who need caretakers or otherwise can’t live alone and are struggling to navigate what that may mean for their futures. Here’s to disabled aspecs who do want a relationship, sexual, romantic, or otherwise, but who struggle not only with finding a partner who will accept their sexual/romantic orientation(s) but also with doing so with a disability that affects their relationships. Here’s to alloaros who want sexual partners but struggle with disability-related issues that affect their sex lives, such as touch aversion, incontinence (including ptsd induced bedwetting and bladder/bowel motor tics), body dysmorphia, fatigue, and/or limited mobility. Here’s to d/Deaf, hard of hearing, low vision, blind, and d/Deafblind aces and aros, who are sick of being treated as though they’re “missing out” in more ways than one on some “fundamental” part of the human experience, (namely sight and/or hearing and sex and/or romance). Here’s to the developmentally and intellectually disabled aces and aros who are tired of being treated like children as grown adults. Here’s to disabled aces and aros. You are wonderful and it is such a privilege to share a community with y’all.

Edit: @arrows-for-pens pointed out that I forgot to add the links. (Thanks for that!) So, here are the links to the articles that I mentioned in the body of the post.

#disability pride month #disability #aromantic #asexual #ace #aro #aspec #aroace #long post #cw ableism #cw pathologization #cw aphobia #my post

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ccasey0 · 10 months ago

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alrighty, lets get this said and done.

i am likely not going to post on here a lot unless i get asks or comments or smthn, just so you know.

anyways, i have a question for you guys. ive got an au that ive been wanting to share and post about for a while, but im not sure if i can. reason being that it is pretty old and it started when i was young and stupid and didnt know how to draw my own poses and stuff, so i would trace the outline of characters and then draw over it. i don't know if i can post or share any of the art from that time since i dont have any of the credits to the owners anymore:( i would love to be able to share my world with you guys since ive put a ton of time and effort into the hundreds of doodles and sketches ive made for it, but i need to know if it's okay. let me be clear on this though so there is no confusion: i am not claiming the art to be mine. i did not trace directly over most of the art, i just copied the general shape/art style/pose and then turned it into my own characters. not all of the art for this au is traced.

anyways, with that out of the way i want to explain a little about the au so that i can know if anyone would actually want to see it.

so it's basically a mashup of my OCs, rottmnt, mha, lmk, and a bunch of other fandoms i've been inspired by. it is set in a post apocalyptic world in the year 2080(sort of). The main cast consists of Casey "Moon"(based off of me), Jupiter "Dellta"(based off a friend/sister of mine), Jasper "Spots", Raphael Montero, Keigo "feathers"(based off hawks from MHA), Kat(based off bakugou from MHA), Deku(based of Deku from MHA), Felix, Sandro, and Pancake(it comes in WAY later tho). these guys are known as "The Gang." aren't i so creative with names? they are also the people i draw the most. there are, of course, side-ish characters who play major roles on the story but aren't in the gang. as for the relationships between the characters, here u go: Jupiter, Casey, Jasper, and Raph are all siblings. Raph is the oldest by 2 years, Casey and Jupiter are twins, and Jasper is younger by a month. technically Jasper, Jupiter, and Casey are triplets. but they were raised by different people so jasper celebrates his birthday on a different date than the twins. they have a very complicated and definitely not realistically possible relationship with their Bio Mom but ill explain that in another post if ya'll want. Deku, Casey, and Kat are all in a relationship. Yes it is a threesome. no i do not care. please do not hate, it isn't that big of a deal. Jupiter and Felix are in a relationship. jupiter and keigo are besties. jupiter is sandro's adoptive mother(comes in much later). casey is pancake's adoptive caretaker(comes in much, much later). now for the explanation of the setting, yay! so, it is a post apocalyptic world that has been brought to ruin. the world divided itself into different Sectors, which are areas set up around still standing cities around the world.(i can explain how al that got established and all that stuff in another post if it is wanted.) The sector that the story takes place in is the New York Sector. it is a bit larger than Texas and was named the NY sector cause NY was the last city standing in that area at the time. NYS has 8 safe zones inside it. Safe Zones are walled off areas that are safe from Corrupted(ill explain that next). SZ are like towns or bases that people and yokai all live in. every zone is different and has different kinds of people. th zone that the gang usually interacts with is zone five(basically the blackmarket of the safe zones.) (ill explain what th different zones are like in another post as well.) okay, now for corrupteds. these guys are complicated and hard to explain w/o a picture for reference, so ill do my best and make a seperate post about them later. basically, they are the zombies or kraang of this world. they are the product of a failed lab experiment. A team of scientists were working on a project to make trees produce twice as much oxygen, but some bad guys called Seekers(once again, ill make a seperate post for these guys) broke into the lab and did something to the trees. they made them start producing these strange spores that began bringing corpses back to life zombie-style. but these weren't zombies. the corpses became mutated and horrifying monsters that would kill on sight. the more spores were released, the more corrupteds came to life. and the spores also mutated other trees, causing them to produce the spores as well. the corrupteds can only live as long as they have an intact heart organ inside of them. they are attracted to light and will kill on sight. although most of them are blind, so i guess they kill on sound?? anyways, as trees became more infected, their roots became vines and they started overgrowing everywhere, with huge vines the size of giant redwood trees(yes i had to search up giant trees to scale this) growing up buildings and through streets.

alrighty. wow. i can't believe you are still here. thank you for bearing with me. please tell me if you want more of this au via comments or asks. any questions go in the ask box. i do have some disclaimers for this tho: i don't do digital art, all this will be traditional drawings. also, i don't have this as an actual comic. it's more just a bunch of drawing that a the explanations to are in my head so i will likely post art and then explain the story bit to it typed out.

also important thing to add to the au:

TW!!! Blood, gore, swear words, trauma, physical abuse, psychological abuse, fighting, horror, queer ships, threeway ships, implied attempts, implied seizures, dark humor, mental breakdowns, panic attacks, sensory overloads, ect. it isn't as bad as it sounds i promise 😅

oke, i'm done now. thanks for reading all this and i hope for your feedback and/or much wanted advice or recommendations. like i said, any questions please go in the ask box and any requests for explanations or art go there too.

byeeeeee :)

#origonal au #oc #apocalypse #tmnt #sort of #idk please someone tell me if i can show this #zombies ig #:)

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selectivechaos · 2 years ago

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History of Situational Mutism

have made a post on this before, so have taken some parts of that. but this is more comprehensive. aka long post like looong⚠️

summary:

aphasia voluntaria -> elective mutism (voluntary, refusal, oppositional) -> DSM IV = inability (failure, rather than refusal, to speak).

differential diagnoses: DSM-III = developmental disorders -> IV and IV-TR = speech abnormalities and social anxiety disorder -> DSM-V = communication disorders, social anxiety and psychotic disorders like schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders.

2013 DSM-V changed it from Childhood disorder to anxiety disorder. it also removes reference to trauma as a possible cause.

DSM IV-TR said SM had slightly more females than males. DSM-V says SM has equal gender distribution.

People thought DSM-V would subsume SM into SAD, but it didn’t due to the uncertainty around the relationship between SM and SAD.

It has since been recognised unofficially as ‘situational’. but this is not enough because ‘mutism’ also ignores how SM can affect all communication.

“It was back in 1877 that a German physician called Adolph Kussmaul used the term ‘aphasia voluntaria’ to describe children who ‘refused’ to speak though they could speak normally. Kussmaul used the term after he reported three clinical cases with similar symptoms (Jainer, Quasim, & Davis, 2001). In 1934, a child psychologist from Switzerland called Mortis Tramer used the term ‘elective mutism’ for the first time to describe ‘a fascinating group of children, whose talking is confined to familiar situations’ (Kolvin, Trowell, Le Couteur, Baharaki, & Morgan, 1997). Going by both the terms, it can be seen that the understanding was of a voluntary act of refusing to speak, which would mean it was an oppositional behavior (Noelle, 2017).

The same understanding is reflected in the diagnostic criteria given by the earlier versions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM). The third editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-III and DSM-III-R) explained elective mutism in terms of ‘refusal to speak’. This was changed in the fourth edition of DSM, where it was recognized as an inability to speak (Noelle, 2107). The diagnostic criteria given in DSM-III (APA, 1980) talks of ‘continuous refusal to speak in almost all social settings’, while the diagnostic criteria given in DSM-III-R (APA, 1987) updated it to ‘persistent refusal to speak in one or more social settings’. In contrast, after the publication of DSM-IV in 1994, the diagnostic criterion read ‘failure to speak in specific social situations’.

There are other differences between the elective mutism as described in the third editions (DSM-III and DSM-III-R) of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manuals (APA, 1980, 1987) and the selective mutism as described in the subsequent editions, i.e., DSM-IV (APA, 1994), DSM-IV-TR (APA, 2000) and DSM 5 (APA, 2013). Some instances would be the predisposing factors and differential diagnosis.

According to both the third editions of the DSM (APA, 1980; 1987), maternal overprotection, speech disorders, mental retardation and trauma were possible predisposing factors for the onset of selective mutism. These factors were, however, removed in the subsequent editions of the DSM (DSM-IV, DSM-IV-TR & DSM-5). Similarly, the third editions stated that the ‘refusal’ to speak could be differentially diagnosed as developmental disorders, while the later editions (DSM-IV & DSM-IV-TR) list speech abnormalities and social anxiety disorder as differential diagnosis for selective mutism. DSM-5 (APA, 2013) lists a differential diagnosis of communication disorders, social anxiety and psychotic disorders like schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders.” Source: ‘selective mutism - understanding and management’ by Charu Kriti 🌹🌹

in 2013 the DSM-5 moved SM from the childhood disorders category to the anxiety disorders category. The DSM-5 also drops the reference to trauma as a possible cause of SM, and indicates that SM has equal gender distribution, whereas the DSM-4-TR had indicated slightly more females than males.

People thought the DSM-5 would subsume SM into SAD, but this didn’t happen due to the uncertainty surrounding the relationship between the two disorders. (high comorbidity, some argue SM is an extreme version of SAD; some argue SAD causes SM; others argue vice versa).

people with SM have since recognised it as ‘situational mutism’ to avoid the misunderstanding that sm is ‘selective’ or a choice not to speak; and they consider it an inability to speak in certain situations (people, places, settings). but this name is still not enough in my opinion, because it still focuses on what is considered the biggest problem for OTHER people, rather than for the person. sm is not just mutism (inability to speak); it affects all forms of communication. source: ‘Selective mutism in adults: an exploratory study’ by Carl Sutton. pp 18-19

maybe a better name is communication anxiety disorder or something like that. but then again, it is still not fully accepted as an anxiety disorder; only in official definitions.

#long post #situational mutism #selective mutism

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bcjacobe · 2 years ago

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Hello, welcome to my journey into VGC. I’ve played Pokémon games my whole life and have dabbled in VGC since ORAS. But I’ve always sucked, and I’ve always been reluctant to change whatever team I first make at the start of a new generation. Since the meta is always evolving, especially when a fresh batch of Pokémon is added into the mix, I feel left in the dust as others blaze past. I want to try to work on that this generation, and one of the ways that I think will be helpful for not railroading myself is by creating a little post in memorium of the team I was using and what I learned from it.

I made this team on the nexus showdown server, which is running games with the leaked national dex to allow players to get used to terastalization. The inspiration was to try to find a role for Masquerain in this format, since I’ve missed it more than I thought I would in the three years since it was in a mainline game.

The concept for the team is pretty simple, Masquerain’s access to aqua jet and a low attack stat allow it to reliably proc Coalossal’s weakness policy and steam engine, and with 108 speed you outspeed threats like Scarf Garchomp or Gyarados after your steam engine boost. Tera Rock type allows you to hit flying and fire types like Pelipper, Gyarados, Talonflame, and Volcarona hard with rockslide or the cool new Tera blast. The Coalossal is also a mixed attacker, and I’ve found that even with a modest nature it can pick up a lot of KOs thanks to weakness policy. However, it is extremely dependent on its weakness policy to deal damage.

Some fun stuff I’ve done with it include having Tera blast do physical damage instead of special damage when a Thundurus used eerie impulse on it, surviving a LO Buizel’s waterfall and koing it’s partner pelliper, and only hitting one rockslide over 7 turns because I got paralyzed, flinched, and missed (Don’t worry though, the next game I won the game off of a crit, what goes around comes around.)

Masquerain also dishes out decent damage when it needs to with infestation and scald, and its role of intimidating threats cannot be understated because there’s no way Coalossal is surviving a super effective hit without attack reductions.

I struggled a lot with the rest of the team, trying out every weather setter, trick room, and even Contrary Lurantis to counter intimidate and electroweb spam. Unfortunately Tsareena is just better at the role Lurantis was filling and deals with dragon and water types quite well with its scarf. Torkoal feels like the weakest link, as it occupies the same niche as coalossal, but it’s useful for clearing rain from the field to make sure Coalossal doesn’t lose its speed advantage. It also helps out in TR, which most of the roster despises being in.

Raichu and Gyarados perform well in most situations and help to glue the team together quite nicely.

As far as strategy goes, I usually don’t lead with both Masquerain and Coalossal. While Coalossal can absolutely KO anything with a rock or fire weakness, it still struggles while dealing neutral damage, and threats like Garchomp are common leads. The supporting cast whittles down threats or outright KOs them with the offensive power Tsareena and Gyarados bring, and Coalossal comes in to finish the job.

And lastly, some things that I’ve learned with this team: Psychic terrain doesn’t prevent you from using priority moves on your allies. Talonflame will rarely attack it’s first turn, you don’t need to fake it out if you aren’t worried about its partner. And dragon dance is a great setup move, even in double battles.

As I said this team went through a lot of iterations, so I don’t really know my winrate with it. But I managed to climb from 1000 to 1200 in about an hour of playing with the “finalized” version. I think some tweaks can be made, like the fact that I’m just now seeing Masquerain has 31 attack ivs instead of 0 or the team’s weakness to special sweepers like Indeedee or Sylveon. But I want to try other things and continue to experiment, not just ram my head against the wall with only this team until SV release. I wanna try using Altaria, and Jumpluff, and Tropius, and give Lurantis another shot. So long until my next update.

#BCJacobe'sJourney

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justice4falum · 5 years ago

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do NOT give money to tumblr user roboticwheelchair

Hi, so you’ve probably seen this post or some of its permutations on this website lately! (The old version of this post broke because I mistakenly deleted it. Let’s try this again, shall we?)

This is a “RAFFLE” for a Nintendo Switch Lite and the poster is asking people send them $10 to earn a spot in the raffle, of which there are 52. People have already sent money in.

This post was made by user roboticwheelchair and the name which currently displays on their paypal is “Mick Garcia” - it’s very possible you’ve heard their story already from several weeks ago. User roboticwheelchair claims that they were physically assaulted for being a transgender man, and that they sustained a concussion.

The BAD news is that roboticwheelchair is a blog which has been on tumblr for a very long time, and used to belong to someone named Falum Gibson. You may have heard this name from their #justice4falum campaign ages ago. They are a notorious scammer and has been doing this since 2016. LET’S REVIEW (LONG, LONG, LONG POST AHEAD.)

Part 1: #BieberMeetFalum and Meeting Ed Sheeran

In 2016, Falum ran a Justin Bieber fan account on Twitter called @bieberfreezer (account has since been suspended). They began a campaign called #BieberMeetFalum by posting a Twitter thread about their disability, cerebral palsy, and how they had intended to meet Justin Bieber personally because his music was important to them. However, the venue he was performing at was not wheelchair accessible and Falum uses an electric wheelchair. They were trying to get the attention of him or his team in order to ensure they met. (LINK)

This was a reasonable thing to post about! Accessibility is a necessity. We know this. And they weren’t asking for money. Twitter got this the attention it needed and they were able to meet Bieber despite the trouble. (LINK)

Later on, they gunned to meet Ed Sheeran and succeeded.

Part 2: #TaylorNoticeFalum

In 2018, Falum was on Tumblr as user taylorsgetawaycarxo. At this point they still say they have cerebral palsy, but has also said they have COPD (something they later will drop.) Claiming that they are terminally ill and has 2 years left to live, they talk about how Taylor Swift is their idol and they want to meet her before they die.

This came right after they had done the same thing with Demi Lovato fans, claiming they idolised Demi and needed to meet her, so on and so forth. They ran a GoFundMe for this.

The GoFundMe is now defunct, but the URL was “falumlastwish” I believe. Here’s where the plot gets a little lost, because the sheer number of different GoFundMes, donation posts, and meet-a-celebrity campaigns that Falum was running in these couple of years is... pretty wild. There’s a post from another blog here on Tumblr about the Taylor Swift fandom’s run-in with them. (LINK)

Here’s a GoFundMe they ran from a music fan account on Instagram, where they were asking for help escaping homelessness. They raised almost 5,000 dollars out of the 10,000 they were asking. (LINK)

At some point they also ran a GoFundMe for a PTSD service dog. I’m not sure how much they were asking for this one, but they apparently made $880 off of it.

Part 3: Ellie Elizabeth

This part is a little muddled, because the tumblr blog connected to it has been deleted and it’s really difficult to find archives of the posts, but at some point in early 2019 Falum started using the blog ellie-elizabeth21 to ask for money as well. The story was that they were being sent to conversion therapy for being bisexual by their father, who had them deemed legally mentally incompetent. Further stories they posted about were potential evictions, needs for grocery money, etc.

Here’s a link to an imgur album of some of the posts this account made. Many of them achieved their goal of over $200 or more. (LINK)

“Ellie” also ran a GoFundMe to escape conversion therapy. Although the person running the campaign was listed as Ellie Elizabeth, the “beneficiary” listed on the campaign is Falum Gibson, proving that Ellie was another pseudonym - just a better hidden one. Here’s the link to that GoFundMe, where you can see it for yourself. (LINK)

This was Ellie Elizabeth’s PayPal account at the time, I believe? And anyway, you might note that they apparently made nearly $6,500 on this account.

Part 4: #Justice4Falum

Now in November of 2019, Falum moved away from the world of Fan Internet and decided to try out something new. They made the blog roboticwheelchair in September of 2019 and reblogged a photoset of cats to it, which for a while was the only thing on the blog besides the donation post they initially made. They’ve gone through a cycle of reblogging and deleting things there, basically clearing out the blog every couple of weeks to make a new post.

At this point they were also @falumgibson on Twitter. The account has since been locked. This is when they posted a GoFundMe describing medical abuse they were allegedly undergoing at the Ottawa Hospital. Weird side note, this GoFundMe is still running and can be donated to, though obviously I’m recommending you don’t do so. (LINK)

They made several donation posts on Tumblr about this campaign, frequently linking it or their PayPal account and asking people to donate. Sometimes it was to go directly to their legal fund for this lawsuit, other times they were asking for money for medications or other immediate costs.

Side note, they had claimed to be in the hospital since August of 2019 due to suicidal ideation and claimed they had been psych warded. From what I can tell, the Ottawa Hospital General Campus they claimed to be hospitalised at does not actually have a psychiatric ward. It has a mental health team, but they appear to do outpatient work. It’s not really clear what they were in the hospital for at this point.

#Justice4Falum was originally about fundraising for a place to live because apparently they were in danger of being forced to leave the hospital due to homelessness. Later on they turned it into a legal fund to sue the hospital for mistreatment.

Part 5: Further Fundraising, Coming Out As Trans

While Falum was in the hospital, they started identifying as nonbinary. I’m not in any position to speculate about whether or not Falum is transgender, because that’s honestly not the point. Either way, they have started using their trans identity in much the way they use their disabilities - as a way to garner sympathy and trust, and to scam people out of money.

On their Twitter at this point, they did seem to have kind of a bizarre interpretation of how transition worked and appeared to be under the impression that the first thing trans men do is get top surgery? (LINK)

Shortly after this, still during the November that #Justice4Falum ran during, they began asking for donations to a different PayPal account than their normal one, because their stepdad was dying of cancer. There was a GoFundMe for this as well, but it appeared to feature their parents and was possibly not created by Falum.

No date on this tweet unfortunately, but right after that, they made a post about how they had been outed to their transphobic father and needed to escape living with him.

At this point, Falum has added several diagnoses to those they claim to have. In addition to cerebral palsy, they now claim to have multiple sclerosis and several mental illnesses. No more COPD, though! I’m very impressed that they recovered from a terminal illness!

Now that they’re out of the closet, in early December they begin making donation posts on Tumblr again and have now made a Patreon. (LINK: POST) (LINK: PATREON) Soon after this, they apparently left their home and became homeless, and started posting about this on Twitter and linking their PayPal.

In late December they posted on Twitter about having attempted suicide by taking 75 extra strength Tylenol. Warning for a photograph of their IV in this link. (LINK)

Not very long after, Falum returned to their narrative of being terminally ill by posting about how their multiple sclerosis (something they have only claimed since 2019, I believe) causes them over 20 seizures a day and will eventually kill them. (LINK)

Then they locked their Twitter account and decided to try something new.

Part 6: Connor Kay, “anontransman”

Enter Connor Kay. At this point Falum makes a new Twitter account called @ConnorIsTrans which eventually morphs into @anontransman. They initially link this account to their old main account, saying that they’ve switched in order to be openly trans on their new account because their transphobic father is stalking them. (LINK)

They continue asking for donations on Twitter, now with a Ko-Fi account called Connor Rocks.

They also post a story about an ex-friend of theirs spitting on them for being trans, apparently, and say they’re calling the police on her, which really doesn’t seem like something that’d be safe for a disabled trans person to do but whatever. (LINK)

On their blog at roboticwheelchair, they post stories about how they are being assaulted and mocked for being transgender. I should note that on Twitter they’ve said they are not out IRL and have not taken steps to transition.

Not only does this particular story sound kind of like the “down with cis bus” post, it’s also somewhat suspect that they allege they were called a tr*nny as an AFAB trans person, given who is generally targeted by that word. But. Moving on.

When the COVID-19 pandemic came around, Connor created a Facebook group for disability support. This was run by the Facebook account Connor Kay, which has since been deleted. It was the same account that they used to have and they’d not changed anything except for the name; prior posts showed it was Falum Gibson’s account.

It turns out they deleted this Facebook account because someone on Facebook posted about their years-long history of scamming people online. Here’s a link to an imgur album of some of the Facebook callout and the images the OP posted. (LINK)

So Falum, or Connor, decides to start anew with an all new PayPal, Ko-Fi, Patreon and Twitter account. At this point they begin to break away from linking these accounts to the name Falum Gibson and their past donation posts, although they are still using the same Tumblr blog. They change their Twitter handle to @anontransman and remove links to Falum. (TWITTER SCREENCAP) (KO-FI SCREENCAP) (PATREON SCREENCAP)

Then they tweet about how they have been diagnosed with cancer. (LINK) Then they begin asking for $100k to go to the US for treatment. (LINK)

Soon after, this Tweet has been completely deleted and they have instead started asking for money for top surgery. (LINK) I believe this is in reverse chronological order, but here are a week’s worth of tweets from them - all deleted at random times in order to make room for the others - asking for money for various reasons. Yes, this was all literally within the same week. (LINK)

Note the very last image of that album contains a reference to an “Amazon Raffle” - they were basically telling people that donations would win them a spot in a raffle for an Amazon gift card or something? It seems they moved on from the @anontransman account before the raffle could come to fruition, or possibly that they just deleted all references to it. Not sure.

In April of 2020, roboticwheelchair posted a specific donation post about being attacked for being transgender and sustaining a concussion. They said they did not see a doctor after the assault because they didn’t think it was important, so their concussion went untreated and because of it they were unable to get groceries. The donation post linked to Connor Kay’s PayPal account. It was deleted and reposted several different times, with basically the same text.

Part 7: Mick Garcia

This is a more recent post with the exact same story, now about their multiple sclerosis medication. The only difference is now that the PayPal link sends you to the PayPal of Mick Garcia. Mick Garcia has a different PayPal username than Falum, Ellie, and Connor did.

On April 12th, the @anontransman account deactivated after Falum, or Ellie, or Connor, or Mick decided to leave Twitter. Then yesterday on April 19th, it reactivated and they tweeted once again.

However, around this same time, another Twitter account under the name Mick Garcia with an icon @anontransman used to use and a very similar tone/style cropped up.

The Mick Garcia account has not tweeted yet, as it appears that they may be staying with @anontransman for their current purposes, but it appears that for some reason or another they’ve decided to start going by Mick Garcia now.

I guess it’s probably relevant to note that while I suppose there are probably some white people out there with the last name Garcia, Falum is really seriously white and it’s suspect they would pick out Garcia as a pseudonym, whether they list “white” in their Twitter bio or not.

More from the current state of the roboticwheelchair blog includes many, many posts where they’re either reposting their own petitions or basically grabbing for as many followers as possible. You can probably guess why. (LINK)

As of April 20th, 2020, there are 2 donation posts still standing on their blog. Here are both of them. (LINK)

Finally, The Switch Raffle

Literally today, April 20th, roboticwheelchair posted something that is allegedly a raffle. They claim to be giving away a Nintendo Switch Lite to a lucky winner. There are 52 slots in the raffle; they are asking that people send them $10 over PayPal in order to enter. They’re also claiming this is to further fundraise for their medication.

They are claiming their doctor has put them on an MS medication that costs $450 every two weeks. (Note that if they’re trying to make money for that right now and also going to buy a Switch for the winner, than they’d only have about half of that at the end? The Switch Lite is about $260 in Canada and their total earnings from a full raffle would be $520.)

You should not give money to them for this raffle, or for any reason. The reason I’m compiling all of this is because after months of seeing them pull this scam over and over again, they’re now promising people an actual product that given their history, I would say they are highly unlikely to deliver.

Given their past, it is most likely they will delete this raffle once they have the money they want, and refuse to allude to it ever again. Or maybe they’ll just disappear! Or hell, maybe they’ll have some kind of nebulous problem ordering the Switch when someone wins, and that’ll be that.

But it’s clear based on this history, I hope, that Falum or Ellie or Connor or Mick has a long history of taking lots and lots of money from strangers online. Like, a lot of money. My estimate is that they’ve made over $15k on this, and that’s exclusively based off of the visible numbers on their GoFundMes and Ko-Fi accounts.

Please do not give this person your money. They are not trustworthy. There are other people who need it - like you, or maybe like, someone you personally know and not some complete stranger who keeps telling people they’re terminally ill so they can meet a cool musician.

Disclaimer

I’ve compiled all of this information to the best of my ability, but I am just one person and it took a lot of digging due to the deleted accounts involved.

Falum is actually disabled; I believe they do have cerebral palsy and may have other disabilities. I do not know if they really have MS, but it’s hard to trust them because they previously lied about having terminal COPD.

I have no idea if Falum is really transgender or not. They have apparently taken no concrete steps to transition, which I know means very little. That being said, if they are transgender, they are leveraging their identity in dangerous ways against other people for money and sympathy. Their stories about being assaulted by strangers for being transgender are highly suspect, given their lack of transition and the fact that the scenarios they describe are highly cliche.

Finally, I’m not trying to harass Falum or threaten them in any way. I don’t know them. If they’re interested in talking candidly about what they have been doing all these years and why, that’s fine. I would honestly love to understand, but at this point it seems like the only thing they can do is apologise for their dishonesty and stop doing this.

Reblog this post if you want! The point is to get the word out there, because this person has been a pervasive presence on this website for some time and has not yet been called out.

#tumblr scam #signal boost #donations #falum gibson #roboticwheelchair #anontransman #connor kay #mick garcia #ellie elizabeth

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thegeminisage · 4 years ago

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this is not a post for other people to put on their blog last time i said that some idiot reblogged it anyway. don’t be fucking stupid

anyway THEEE ways in which i am going to mcmurder my aunt. my aunt is like. she’s developmentally disabled so she’s like a little kid in a lot of ways, and she can’t help that, but she can help the fact that she’s like a BRATTY little kid, the BRATTIEST kid that ever existed. and so recently she developed coldlike symptoms which she said were allergies from having cut the grass. except then she said she felt like she was dying and then the next day she said she felt fine again. and she kept saying she didn’t have covid and she didn’t need a covid test, and because all of my relatives are tr*mp people, even though she’s not really able to understand politics she repeated what they’ve been saying, which is “if i go take that test they’ll MAKE me have it, they’ll say i have it even if i don’t,” and my mom and i weren’t even totally sure that she actually WAS sick at all, because a lot of times she likes to pretend to be sick when she isn’t (or sicker than she actually is) for attention, and she thinks ive gotten a lot of attention and “special treatment” recently because i have covid and we obviously Can’t have ANYONE, ESPECIALLY liz, getting more attention and special treatment than auntsname, because auntsname has to be the most specially treated person in the universe or that means nobody loves her

and so last night she called my mom sobbing into the phone saying she felt so bad, she was dying, she wanted her mother (who has been dead since 2010), her mother was the only person who could make her feel better now, and of course that activated both my mom’s grief and hysteria and sent her into a meltdown, and we finally got my aunt to agree to a covid test. and she went and took the test today - my mom had to drive her, and my aunt sat in the back so she could be on the side of the window, which meant she had to give herself the test. apparently she did every single thing possible she could to be difficult - they give you an alcohol wipe and tell you to put it aside for later, for cleaning the box, and not to let it touch your face, and she wrung it in her hands the whole time like a tissue. they told her to peel the packaging the swab came in and she peeled it all the way and just let the swab drop on the floor which forced them to give her a new one. she cried the whole time she stuck it up her nose because it huuuurt (it doesn’t hurt) and she couldn’t find the place to break and snap it off to fit in the vial so the people behind her had to wait and there was a huge line, the test took them more than 20 MINUTES to complete and it’s a fucking 5-minute ordeal

and then as soon as my mom dropped her back off at her house, she immediately asked for 1000 things to make her feel better. she wanted gatorade and ice cream and fried chicken and etc etc etc. like my mom doesn’t have enough to do without me around to take care of her. she wanted to know if my mom would take her dogs out for her 2-3 times a day if she wasn’t feeling good and started worrying about what would happen to them if she died and like. give me a FUCKING break??

first of all, you know who’s been taking OUR dog out while i had covid? me. my mom did it one time and he hurt her hand so i’ve been doing it ever since. HE’S NOT EVEN MY DOG. he’s my mom’s dog and i take care of him so she doesn’t have to. i cleaned my own cats’ litter tray. i’ve been making do with the groceries at home and telling my mom not to make special trips. i made half my own meals. hell, i did a load of DISHES. i’ve been telling my mom i really didn’t feel so bad even when i felt absolutely horrible. when i was trying to figure out what would happen if i kicked it i did not include my mom in that discussion because i didn’t want her to worry. i’ve been putting a brave face on it this WHOLE TIME because i didn’t want her to worry. i even did my mom’s groceries for the inventory at work like i usually do because it’s something i can do from the computer. i am about to get started on doing the schedule for her employees RIGHT AFTER I FINISH THIS POST. WHILE I HAVE COVID. to make her life easier!!! all of it was to be as little burden as possible even though i was the one with the plague! and then my aunt who only MIGHT have covid comes along and has to be THEEE hugest baby so she can be the BIGGEST burden and make my mom’s life as difficult as possible. she has absolutely succeeded in taking all the attention away from me because my mom has been super nice to me while i was sick and today she yelled at me for NO reason which means the ~special treatment~ i’ve been getting (not getting yelled at) is definitely over - you know who never gets yelled at by my mom? MY AUNT. she gets that special treatment 24/7 and she doesn’t even know it!!!

and so now. my mom is telling me to check my temperature as often as i can. because she wants me out of quarantine as quickly as possible. and she says it’s because she’s worried about me and misses me and wants to know that i’m okay but it’s a big flip from “don’t rush it just take it easy” because. she wants me around. to help her take care of things again. because she can’t take care of work and the house and my aunt at the same time because my aunt is demanding 110% of her attention. so like i’m 36 hours fever-free which means i still have 36 more to go, but i’m already done being sick, not because i’m actually done being sick but because my aunt decided she was done letting other people matter. i HHHHHATE her and if covid doesn’t kill her i will. at least if i HAD died last week i wouldn’t be having to deal with her stupid bullshit AGAIN

#/#//#///#////#/////#personal #covid blogging

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therainbowwillow · 4 years ago

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https://therainbowwillow.tumblr.com/post/639917088173113344/alright-its-been-a-hot-second-since-ive-written -Part 1

Okay, Hadestown Fanfic With Crossovers Where Orpheus’s Terms are Different and Also ✨Olympus Drama✨Part 2/???

I think my greatest struggle in writing is... posting it. And deciding on a consistent plot. That too. Expect changes. Edit: Well, well, well, there’s a draft feature on this website? I might just migrate to Tumblr.

I may make an overview post at some point so you don’t actually have to read this. A long TL;DR probably, because it is written by Miss What-Is-Concise. My TL;DRs need TL;DRs of their own. Anyway, I’m rambling, so let me actually get started.

Preemptive:

-Orpheus is Apollo’s kid in this version, as he is in many retellings. He is raised by Hermes.

-Hermes works for Hades, bringing souls to the underworld. He resides away from Olympus to fulfill said duties.

-Dionysus’ parentage is by Persephone and Hades. (Because there’s no way Persephone’s screwing Zeus in the other room. Also this is his more underworld-connected family ties.)

-You drink from the River Lethe, according to some ancient authors, to forget your past life. And if Virgil can blatantly rip off Homer, I’m stealing ideas too.

-Would you look at that? This “short” AU fic is expanding by the minute. Hades and Persephone’s are true to the musical and that’s about it at this point.

Eurydice drags Orpheus to his feet. He leans against her. “Eurydice...” he mumbles. “I... I’m so sorry.”

“I signed my life away. That wasn’t up to you. We need to get going.”

Orpheus nods. “Why’s he letting us go? I don’t remember... anything really. I sang. Then I...” he turns away. “It felt like I was sitting in a fire. I couldn’t sing, I couldn’t think. It was unbearable.”

“I’ll never let them lay a finger on you again.”

“You didn’t answer me. Why’s he letting us go?” he asks, softly.

“He’s not,” Persephone mutters. “He wants you to fail. Then he’ll have a canary for his mines.”

Orpheus shudders at the thought. “My song... I thought... Persephone, I think I rewrote every note a hundred times. I lost the love of my life for that melody. And... it failed.”

“Just walk, okay? Please. Once we’re out of here, none of it matters,” Eurydice pleads.

“H-how far?” He’s almost afraid to ask. The original walk had been a grueling task. This one, he thinks, might be a hundred times harder. Whatever Hades had done to him... the effects hadn’t faded. Eurydice must already think he’s a selfish, naive, worthless idiot, he’s certain, so he plans to stay quiet. Unless it gets bad. Only if he needs to tell her, he decides.

“A mile, maybe a little more,” Persephone replies. “We’ll rest in my old greenhouse. It’ll be a roof over our heads at least. Don’t look back,” she warns. “Hades’ servants will follow us. Don’t give them a reason to think we’re afraid.”

Eurydice wraps and arm around Orpheus’s waist. “Tell me if you need a break.” He nods.

———————————

Hades sinks into his office chair. A painting of his wife hangs on the wall. He’s posing at her side. They’re smiling. She’s holding a bouquet of flowers. He rises and storms over to the portrait. He rips it of the wall and it crumples to the ground, torn in two.

He glances out the window. He’s viewing his realm from the highest point in Hadestown. The landscape is as flat as a sheet of paper. No hills, no mountains, only rivers, flowing by some force that is not the gravity of the overworld. His tower is the only peak. And the smokestacks of his factories.

This is his realm. All of it is his. Every inch of dirt, every scrap of metal and gemstone beneath the ground. Every sullen face of every tortured worker who’d sold his soul away. The wall is his too. And the Styx, which wraps it 7 times over. He’s a king and his castle is protected by the highest of palisades and yet... that boy... that son of Apollo had taken it all from him. What is a king without his iron fists? Now he had shown softness, now he’d shown weakness. A crack in the wall will bring the whole structure down, he thinks to himself. But what else can he do? Persephone is his wife. She is *his*. To imagine a thousand winters and springs and summers without her...

The underworld is lonely. He cannot lose her. But he cannot let the boy escape. Nor his lover, nor his traitorous workers. If he shows them an inch, they’ll take a mile. Worse, the traitors were right. Orpheus is alive. Orpheus is not his. That poet is all that stands in the way of his kingdom. And like any barrier, he will fall. How? Hades wonders. How can he kill the boy, break his spirit and punish him without losing Persephone? What blinds his wife? he asks himself. That silly little song had manipulated him, taken hold of his heart like alcohol. And Persephone loves it. She believes, truly believes, that Orpheus deserves to live for the very reason he must die.

Hades slams his fists against the window. Perhaps she was right. He ought to follow in his brothers’ footsteps. Forget his wife. That simple action would be enough to fix everything. If he let her go, she’d have nothing to hold over him. He wouldn’t be her puppet. He’d kill Orpheus, chain up the boy’s foolish lover and send Achilles and Patroclus to the darkest mines, and force them to work day and night apart from each other. Sure, the bunch of them would whine like kenneled puppies, but he could take their cries. They’d forget everything if he could get them to drink from the Lethe. Orpheus would be easy. Threaten his pretty little muse and he’d be scrambling to his knees. Eurydice would be nothing without her poet. Achilles would resist. He’d fight a millennia before he or his lover bowed before their king. But they too would fall.

Only Persephone stands in the way, he knows. He likes to imagine he has her under his control. But he knows it’s a lie. The food of the underworld she’d eaten, it didn’t confine her as well as he’d hoped. Sure, her time above ground would be made unbearable, but she would still be out of his grasp. She could leave. She would leave. He knows her threats aren’t empty. So he’ll find a way around her. He needs her to come back. Without Persephone’s warmth, he wouldn’t know what to do with himself.

He watches the crowd of shades begin to disperse and it dawns on him. Orpheus gives them hope, but he makes them afraid. How many deceased reside in Hadestown? It’d take a hundred thousand mortal lifetimes to count. And how many had stepped forward to help the poet boy? Two. Among that crowd, he knew, were great heroes. Heroes who once resided in Elysium. And still, only two shades had betrayed him. Two out of a trillion. Hades smiles. He won’t need to kill Orpheus. One of his workers can take the fall. Even Achilles won’t succeed in standing against an army the size of his. And Hades will win. His wife will see that some dead man has killed the singer to appease his king. She’ll suspect, but without proof, what does she have on him? Eurydice will see she has no choice. Once the boy belongs to him, Orpheus is his to manipulate. She’ll be trapped. Achilles, for all of his strength, is nothing alone. Without his dear Patroclus, he’ll give in. And so Hades plots.

————————————

Hermes, god of roads and messages, receives word of his adoptive son’s predicament with astounding speed. And he fears for Orpheus. But Hermes guides souls to the underworld, to Hades. To betray the king of Hadestown by helping the boy would be to lose his work and by extension, his freedom to live on the railroad. Without an excuse, he’d be back on Olympus, listening to Zeus and Hera’s endless bickering, watching Ares and Aphrodite humiliate themselves, and helping Dionysus comfort Apollo over the death of the mortal pretty boy of the week. And they wonder why Artemis avoids the damn place at all costs. In fact, he’s stuck on Olympus right now, called to the counsel by Zeus? Athena? He can’t remember. Some mortal breaking some rule.

Orpheus is more important than the meeting. His messenger had interrupted the counsel meeting to bring him word of the poor boy’s situation. He’s not sure how to cover this one up. No one was meant to interrupt important matters as this. Plus, he’d given the kid directions straight into Hadestown, which was the opposite of what his contract with Hades had said. He wasn’t allowed to barter for the return of mortal souls and he wasn’t allowed to assist mortals in doing the same.

“Hermes!” Zeus booms. “What is the meaning of this?”

He rolls his eyes. “Begone, messenger.” He slips a note into the man’s hands: ‘Tell Orpheus I’m coming.’ “Nothing, father. Just... matters of work. You know how Hades is. And don’t get me started on Thanatos! I’m late by half a second and-“

“Enough! I’ve half a mind to banish you from this counsel.” Hermes smiles. His excuses have succeeded.

Dionysus laughs, considerably beyond tipsy on his own wine. “You mind if I go too? I’m sick of this awful alcohol and I’ve got something far better back home.”

“Dionysus, wasn’t there an agreement we made?” Athena inquires, icily. “You cannot come to our meetings drunk.”

He smiles. “Well, you see,” he snaps his fingers and shakes his head, washing away his intoxication. “I didn’t come drunk. I *got* drunk while here.” He raises a flask and shakes it, refilling the canteen instantly. “There’s a difference.”

Athena grits her teeth. “Father, one more of these counsels and I swear...”

“And husband,” Hera pipes up, “We were going to address that nymph girl you’re always hanging around?”

Zeus flushes a deep shade of red. “Out. All of you. We’re done here.”

Hermes rises, forcing himself to keep his composure, at least until he’s out of sight. He steps into the sunlight that dazzles Olympus, treks the road to the edge of the mortal realm and... “Hermes?”

“Gods have mercy,” he mutters. He turns. “Apollo.” The god is puffy-eyed, probably from crying. Even Hermes had to agree, his latest lover had been gorgeous. Hyacinthus, was his name, if he remembered correctly. Apollo himself had called the counsel to beg for mortality when the boy had died and he hadn’t found another for what? Seventeen years? Spare for Orpheus’s muse mother, of course. Still, this was unusual, even for Apollo’s mellow dramatic self.

“You’re afraid.”

“Don’t... don’t do that, would you?” Hermes snaps, recoiling. “Yeah, yeah, medicine and all, but I don’t want you telling me what I’m thinking.”

Apollo dips his head in acknowledgment. “It’s my son, isn’t it?”

Hermes shakes his head. One word to Zeus and... all Prometheus did was hand over a spark. This was treason. “No, just work.”

Apollo tilts his head. “You’re lying.”

“What cause would I have for lies? I cannot keep Hades waiting, now.” He whirls away from Apollo’s gaze.

“Perhaps... treason?” Apollo inquires. Hermes’s eyes widen.

“Strong accusations.” He forces his voice not to shake.

“I won’t turn you in.” Liar, Hermes thinks. He wants to get on Zeus’s good side. A chance at getting his lover boy back.

“Correct. You wouldn’t have anything to turn me in for,” he tells the son of Leto.

“Orpheus’s wife... no, fiancée. No... I don’t know! The girl. She’s dead. Orpheus’s song is a failure. I heard it from Olympus. Lovely, really. But not nearly enough to convince Hades to let her go. Nothing is.”

Hermes turns again to face his half-brother. “Keep your voice down, would you? If Zeus hears a word of this-“

Apollo cuts him off. “And you helped him. You broke your contract and you know Hades better than anyone, other than Persephone, if they still talk these days. He’s crueler than he once was. They say Elysium itself is no more, that there’s only Tartarus now. You’re afraid of his wrath. And you’re afraid of Zeus. He’ll punish you too. You saw what he did to Asclepius. Struck by lightning for treason against Hades. And that was before this... winter,” he says, softer now.

“I don’t want a lecture, Apollo. What do you want?” Hermes glares at the god.

“I want a deal.”

Hermes narrows his eyes. “What kind of deal?”

“You break me in to the underworld-“

“No. I’m in enough danger as is.”

“Hear me out.”

“I said no!” Hermes steps back onto the road. Apollo grabs his wrist.

“I can get you out of trouble. Dionysus!” The wine god steps out of the woods.

“I’m due to visit my mother. Hades won’t prevent me from entering his realm, I’m his son,” Dionysus explains. “You and Apollo are there on Demeter’s ask to learn why Persephone is late. You, because you’re the god of messages and Apollo because he was available, on leave from his duties to mourn.”

Hermes groans. “The walk is far. Even if you’re me. Days on end of moping and drunken ramblings for a plan almost certain to backfire? I said no.”

Apollo smiles. “Then I’ll turn you in,” he says simply.

“You won’t. Orpheus is your blood. You’d put him in more danger. He knew of my contract and he let me break it. You’d add a charge against him. And it’s me. You cared once, didn’t you?”

“You know I would. You said so yourself. I visited the poet boy twice, maybe. And you? Ask yourself: when was the last time you optionally visited Olympus? But Hyacinthus, I loved for years. If I turn you in, I’m one step closer to him. On Zeus’s good side again.” Hermes shifts on his feet. “It’ll be good to have a doctor at the boy’s side too, seeing as your instructions just about starved him to death.”

Hermes glares at him. “Don’t.”

“You know it’s true. So? Let’s go or you trade places with Prometheus.”

“Fine,” he mutters, through a clenched jaw.

“Good. Now, this is on our terms, Hermes. I will aid your son because you’ve always been good to me and because he is my blood. If he gets in my way, he belongs to Hades.”

#hadestown au #orphydice #hadestown #hadestown fanfic #therainbowwrites

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anonwords · 4 years ago

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monday october 12

i dont really know what to write about since nothing interesting happens often. and i don’t want to write anything hopeful since the virus is still at a critical level in the us, and election day is less than a month away which just adds to the stress and grimness, since all the polls say biden will beat trump but that exactly what was predicted on election day 4 years ago. tr*mp says if he wins, then its the will of the people but if he loses its rigged and he won’t transfer power. they asked this mf point blank to denounce white supremacy and he told his followers to stand by. i hate thinking about all that because it’s scary to think what will happening the future if he’s elected again. im not saying biden is gonna solve everything but he’ll do a hell of a better job than whats happening now. 45 has let 220,000 americans die from the virus, and he might join them since being diagnosed a week ago. doctors say he’s fine but the same has been said about another conservative figure who was just as old as trump. it took a month for him to die, and the last time we saw 45 in public he was gasping for air. i hope he dies that way.

Omar’s bday was last night and I got him michael jackson’s off the wall picture vinyl. i also bought the cake, which was fantastic. his girlfriend didn’t come, which was great because i don’t know if seeing her would’ve done to me. I didn’t drink, just smoked and we played cards. he was very fucked up off an edible i made for him, with the weed i was smoking. im so happy he liked it. he loved the cake too, which i would’ve baked for him but that would’ve been too much (I still need to maintain a level of deniability when it comes to my feeling for him). I didn’t sit next to him but I found myself staring when i started to smoke, as the strain I smoke, gelato, typically makes me really hungry, and really horny (its the perfect date strain). his lips looked so soft, and his hair is so cute. he says he’s balding but I don’t mind. he’s always going to be so handsome. his mother loves me but i don’t know how she’d feel if we were together. would she let me stay the night like she let his past girlfriends?

Josh told me he lost his job at amazon because he accidentally left early. Literally probably the hardest worker in the whole damn warehouse, and they just up and fired him. he said he’s gonna find a job and i think he wont ask for money because he had been pulling in a thousand a week at amazon for a while. I want to be up there, and all that needs to happen is that i need to fix my car. then find a job obviously. build some credit, build work history while staying with josh, and we can get an apartment. but I’m still kind of iffy on working. there are the obvious health reasons, and I was making a lot of money on unemployment. when they start giving more again, I’ll be saving a lot. but if i find a job, I will make Significantly less money. and then i’ll start to have to pay for car insurance and rent and i want to get my teeth fixed and it’s just a really stressful time right now.

So this week r*an haywood of ach*evement hunter and ad*m kovic of funh*us were fired from r*oster teeth, the parent company of both those properties, for engaging in extramarital affairs with fans of the companies. the first lets plays i ever watched were from ah, since 2013, back when it was classic ah with the classic lineup of geoff, gavin, michael, ray, jack, and ryan. just six guys in a room screaming at each other over min*craft or gta. I discovered funhaus when roosterteeth acquired them in 2016 or 17, and I have been hooked since then. classic lineup included bruce, james, lawrence, spoole, elyse, joel, peake, and adam. much edgier content, and an older demographic. these guys were just on another level of comedy and gaming. this past wednesday, a google drive link was posted to 4ch*n, that included hundreds of pictures taken by adam of himself nude and in lewd positions, all screenshotted by a fan he was sending them to over instagram. there were some photos of ryan as well, and some are alleging he raped a minor, but its all here-say at this point. all the members of their respective groups made tweets talking about how shocked and hurt they were (some were less than surprised and made tweets explicitly calling out adam, and some tweeted cryptic song lyrics that represented the situation well). they say never meet your heroes and over the past five years, i think thats becoming a proven point. Im still attracted to adam, even though i know he’s an asshole cheater. i remember just absolutely drooling over his big arms and chest, and when burnie burns confirmed he had the biggest cock in the company, i was over the moon. well let me just say that’s the last straw for me. no more white men for me EVER. im totally done with them. its sad to see adam leave when so many of the original lineup have gone (its just james and elyse now). it really won’t be the same now. ah will survive this, and i will just have to wait until they put out official response videos up explaining everything.

it’s fall now, and cuffing season is upon us. I wonder what its like to have someone that is truly invested into you, who make it their business to make you feel cared for. I want the weather to be cold soon, so i can just lay in bed all day and cuddle my body pillow and be warm, and think about my future man and all the ways i’ll take care of him and all the ways he’ll take care of me. i wanna make him soup and bake pies and keep him full and he’ll take me to the pumpkin patch and it will be cloudy and we might even hold hands. just boys being boys. dressed nice and warm with flannels and hoodies and boots. i would even drink coffee again and we’d sit at the coffee shop and hold hands to keep warm. my small hands in his big strong hands. just a thought ive been kicking around in my head.

#oct 2020 #floe #phillip glass

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chillmayo · 3 years ago

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IM SO SORRY FOR SUCH A LATE REPLY DARLING FORGIVE ME IVE BEEN STUCK IN A WHIRLWIND OF ANIMES MANGAS AND MANHUAS/HWAS AND WEBTOONS

hihihi so ive no idea what to say in reply to the last post so imma just freestyle

so i watched attack on titan and i loved it i love the plot and the characters i originally didnt ship anything other than ymir and historia but my sis made me ship eremin so im barely holding on most of the time lol im prolly gonna read the mAnga coz i cant stand the not knowing

im also in constant pain from tokyo revengers coz every week every new chap is just pain darling nothing but pain

i also finished the first two seasons of tokyo ghoul but im hesitant abt watching season 3 or :re or whatever coz 1) ive heard it s terrible and 2) its rly boring and im just not into it lol i might end up reading the manga of that as well coz ive heard its monumentally better

ive also started downloading hunterxhunter so ill watch it soon maybe after i finish watching blue exorcist

im currently watching assassination classroom lol

OOH i also finished vanitas no carte and I LOVE IT SO I MIGHT READ THE MANGA OF THAT AS WELL LMFAO

i love vanitas so much and NOE IS MY CAT I LOVE HIM

what else what else ive a large reading list for gay/lesbian webtoons/manhuas/manhwas and mangas but i aint ever getting anywhere with that lol

ive started reading The God Of High School and its rly funny lol

WHOS UR FAV CHARACTER IN TOKYO REVENGERS?? i cant choose one i love them all but draken is my husband. i love him unconditionally ALSO CHIFUYU MY BAJIS HUSBAND LOL

also i hate ken wakui (author of tr) coz that mofo playing with my emotions too much

prepare urself if ur reading the mnaga babe bcoz i legit cried for 20 chapters straight while reading. i just kept crying. its so painful.

on that happy note, HAPPY READING

what else, um school started for again and ive no idea what im doing since its abt 3 months into ninth grade and ive done nothing. not a single piece of homework assignments or notes so THATS FUCKING GREAT I HATE MYSELF. he he he :DDD can u feel my pain all the way wherever u are love?

also since my sib started watching anime (i have 4 bros and two sisters but most of them r older so i live with my parents and 2 sibs who arent too old and my bro already wtahces anime) it was like all of us in the house minus my parents loved anime so our family computer thngies wallpaper for the lockscreen is kuroo and if u open it its izuku and I LOVE THAT

literally everything of mine is anime related somehow

this is long but i also wanna add some tokyo revengers screenshots from the manga to pressure u (with love ofc <3)

CHIFUYU my love i love him so much

also naoto in this volume cover looking so fine I LOVE HIM

okay i gotta go now so ttyl byee love u mwahhhhh

The Foxes as Haikyuu!! Characters

Because both series are gay af and I love them (also, this actually started out as a Karasuno-Foxes thing but like 70% of them got Tsukki and so I expanded)

#1. DAN WILDS - Daichi Sawamura (Karasuno)

I mean, it’s kind of obvious.

They’re both captains (also their numbers are both number 1)

Dan is passionate and gets the team to get their shit together. She’s the first female captain in NCAA Class I Exy in history and got a lot of shit for it because that’s just a given in being in a team such as the foxes.

She fought tooth and nail for that team, and believed in it when everyone thought they were nothing but lost causes.

Daichi is also the captain of a team no one else believes in. Karasuno is often referred to as “the flightless birds” or “the fallen champions”.

Despite that, Daichi tried to whip the team together and is very much passionate about the team, regardless of anyone who told him they’re never going to make it.

#2. KEVIN DAY - Oikawa Tooru (Aoba Josai)

Kevin is actually pretty tricky because I have three other characters perfect for him.

But I settled for Oikawa because you can never go wrong with Oikawa.

Anyway, Kevin is an exy superstar and pretty much has fangirls going on for him, which is also the same case as Oikawa who’s also kind of a star (?) who was sought by different schools for his genius in volleyball.

Not to mention, Oikawa has a crazy flock of fangirls and gets interviewed almost every time whether their team wins or lose.

Also, it’s pretty funny because while Kevin is this great son of exy, the foxes mostly snaps at him and tells him to shut up a lot.

That’s pretty much the case with Oikawa and Aoba Josai.

Also, you can never not love Oikawa Tooru, just like how you can’t hate on Kevin Day. If you do, you’re wrong and we have some talking to do.

#3. ANDREW MINYARD - Kenma Kozume (Nekoma)

I actually have a lot of options for Andrew. If Kevin had three, Andrew surprisingly had freaking six. I definitely did not expect that.

But I’m sticking with Kenma for obvious reasons.

Andrew is great at Exy. Without effort? He plays well. With effort? He’s god-like. He’s just that talented it’s insane and infuriating.

Kenma is the same- his performance just increases depending on the effort he pulls.

Plus, like how Andrew doesn’t “care” for exy, Kenma doesn’t “care” about volleyball.

Kenma is cat-like, if that makes sense. Andrew reminds me of a cat.

They’re both smol and adorable beans.

Also, they both hate human interaction

Plus they’re both fascinated with gingers who are obsessed with sports they don’t care about way too much (Hinata for Kenma, and Neil for Andrew (I mean, who else is there??))

#4. MATT BOYD - Koshi Sugawara (Karasuno)

I can’t really see Matt as anyone else, really.

They both have that nurturing nature within them.

Like they’re the gentlest. Enough said.

BUT they can also be playful (?) like with Suga letting Hinata off with his crazy antics and Matt totally spoiling Neil.

Plus, Sugamama and Sawapapa = Matt and Dan

#5. AARON MINYARD - Osamu Miya (Inarizaki)

I was actually reminded of Osamu when I was reading Twinyards on AFTG.

I mean, Aaron is considered the “normal” twin.

Same with Osamu.

Because their twins gets more attention, they’re kind of not appreciated enough (?)

Like Aaron is hella smart and he can play good.

I mean he’s majoring in biochem (I took a subject on that one once and the exams were literally the definition of pain and agony- never again) and assumably passing while playing exy- that is amazing.

I believe in Aaron Minyard supremacy.

Osamu is a great player and is pretty smart on his own but Atsumu is known as Japan’s best high school setter so that kinda gets all the spotlight.

What I mean to say is that they are both the “normal” twins.

And they’re underappreciated a lot.

Also both would lowkey kill for their twin brothers even if they act/show that they hate said twin brothers.

I mean, Aaron literally killed for Andrew and while there was no killing that took place in DIECHI Haikyuu!!, I’m pretty sure Osamu would totally do the same for Atsumu.

#6. SETH GORDON - Suguru Daisho (Nohebi)

Both Suguru and Seth are actually capable players.

But they have very crude personality and say the lousiest things.

Although Seth didn’t had that redemption Suguru did (because he dead) (but I mean, did Suguru even got a redemption arc? He was still lousy but more controlled in the end, tamed excellently by his girlfriend).

They’re both not really bad guys. Just have some issues here and there but not so bad that a little character redemption arc can’t fix (except Seth is dead and unless we’re adding fantasy and paranormal to the mix, we’re not getting any of that obvi)

I don’t know what else to say but both these guys only appeared like 30% of the series.

#7. ALLISON REYNOLDS - Rintaro Suna (Inarizaki)

I had a hard time trying to fit Allison into anyone. She’s too gorgeous and amazing, okay?

But I decided on Suna cuz he fine.

They’re both fine players who also gossip and pretty much know anything about anyone.

Also, they both have good instincts and intuitions.

Not to mention they’re just both very pretty and I’m a total sap for them.

#8. NICKY HEMMICK - Taketora Yamamoto (Nekoma)

You’d argue Tanaka but Nicky totally gives Taketora energy.

They’re both major simps.

No that’s it, JK I’m messing.

Anyway, they’re also both very honest and friendly.

And while they don’t play as well as the other members of the team, they can take a stand and are willing to learn.

Plus they have the tendency to take anyone in, no questions asked.

#9. RENEE WALKER - Asahi Azumane (Karasuno)

If Renee is a goddamn angel then Asahi is freaking Jesus.

They’re just the kindest characters in the series okay? No questions asked.

Like no one can hate them.

Asahi also gets mistaken as a bad person when really he is a good person just because he’s big and looks kind of scary.

But Renee, often looked upon as a good person, is an ex-gangster who found religion. This girl can kill and people often overlook that.

She’s a bad person trying to be a good person (that line’s going to my grave)

They just parallel okayy

#10. NEIL JOSTEN - Hinata Shoto (Karasuno)

Neil is the most difficult to fit into, really.

It took me like in a middle of typing for another character when I realized how stupid I was to not think of him as Hinata.

Because Neil is obviously Hinata.

For one, they’re both smol gingers.

But also their passion for their respective sports is massive that it borderline crosses stupidity.

I mean Aaron whacked someone dead with Neil’s racket and all Neil was thinking was if he could have said racket back.

And Hinata is obsessed with volleyball. Like Haikyuu!! wouldn’t even exist if Hinata wasn’t so obsessed of it and just listened to everyone that he’s too smol to play.

Like how there wouldn’t be AFTG if Neil listened to his mother and ignored his obsession with exy.

They tend to be so passionate that most of the times they ignore logic because it’s their sport, okay? It’s their world.

Also, Hinata tends to gravitate anyone towards him. Like every single character he meets tend to adore him and take him under their wing and just care for him.

He’s a pocketful of sunshine.

Now, Neil might not be a ray of sunshine but he does tend to have the same effect.

Everyone feels the need to protect this boy and if you don’t, there’s something wrong with you. I’m sorry, I don’t make the rules.

They’re just precious and deserves to be protected and loved for at all costs.

Plus, they’re both sassy af.

#was this long idk?#but its 5 pm i gotta split

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matthew-trs · 7 years ago

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Part 6: Various Names

These are all bullet-pointed, and the first part will be translated in Kaga’s own voice, since that’s how they’re written.

I also decided to include my own notes on the origin of various names. This post is also crazy long, and mostly just exists so I can keep all my ideas and facts straight.

Berwick Saga

The “Bren” (ブレン) of Brenthunder (ブレンサンダー) and the Bren Crossbow (ブレンクロスボウ) is from the famous English Bren Light Machine Gun. Military enthusiasts probably immediately recognized this.

Gorzevalus (ゴーゼワロス) was named by the designer who wrote that map’s scenario. I don’t know where he got the name, but he’s a very serious person, so I doubt he intended it to be funny.

A derrick (デリック) is a type of large crane. Since they can be used to lift heavy items as well as help survey undersea wrecks, I wanted Professor Almuth’s first name to give the impression of historical site exploration.

Things like Critical Knife and Wallenstein were simply abbreviated (クリティカルナイフ > クリテカルナイフ, and ヴァレンシュタイン > ワレンスタイン) due to a 7-character limit we had early in development. I must’ve simply missed them when I double-checked later. Similarly, we abbreviated Composite Bow (コンポジットボウ > コンジットボウ).

[Note: this won’t apply to the translation patch, since there’s no character limit.]

Sherpa (シェルパ) are a tribe of mountain guides at the base of Mt. Everest. I chose the name to parallel “Highlanders.” As for Highlanders (ハイランダー), they’re a historical ethnic group from Scotland who were renowned as brave warriors in history. I’ve been told that the Sherpa’s appearance closely resembles the hero of a certain manga, but I’ve never read it, so it’s just a coincidence.

I chose the name Kramer (クレイマー) because it’s close to “climber,” since he’s got a natural gift for climbing cliffs as a skill. I’m on the fence whether it should be to be a nickname or not... I guess it’s probably a nickname he picked himself.

Sapphire (サフィア) and Ruby (ルヴィ) are named after the precious stones, naturally.

Names like Roswick (ロズオーク), Vanmilion (バンミリオン), Shirrock (̪シロック), Quescria (クエスクリア), and the like I just made up. I didn’t take them from anywhere in particular.

[Note: in the patch, “Shirrock” will be Sherlock, which is a real name.]

Faramir (ファラミア) and Olwen (オルウェン) are from The Lord of the Rings.

[Note: I’m not sure which LotR character Olwen is supposed to be. The closest one it matches is Arwen (アルウェン), but that’s a woman...]

Faramir’s class name Wanderer (渡り戦士) is borrowed from a certain manga. Sorry, Ms. Hikawa!

Sylvis (シルウィス), Larentia (ラレンティア), Pfeizal (ファイサル), etc. are mythological/historical people; I also sometimes used the names of mythological weapons for people, too.

Most other proper names are original or just common names, like Lynette, Reese, Bernard, etc.

TearRing Saga

It’s hardly worth mentioning, but Katri (カトリ) is just a plain ranch girl’s name. Back in the day, a lot of people thought it had something to do with baseball pitching. It’s from an old anime based on a very old children’s story from Finland, so it’s natural people wouldn’t recognize where it came from.

[Note: I have no clue what Kaga means about the baseball thing.]

Ente (エンテ) is German for “duck,” while Möwe (メーヴェ) means “seagull.” In other words, it’s an play on words where if you add eyes (メ) to a duck (カモ), you get a seagull (カモメ), meant to parallel that when Ente awakens to her true self, she becomes Möwe. Naturally, there’s also the added meaning that she wants to fly in the skies freely like a seagull, not be a duck that hides itself underwater.

[Note: I had these names as “Enteh” and “Maeve” in the TRS patch. The official romanization of エンテ is definitely “Enteh,” too. Oh well...]

Neyfa (ネイファ) was the name of a character in a short story I wrote a long time ago.

Tia (ティーエ) is from Aul Toba Tieh (アウル・トバティーエ), a character from a certain fantasy novel.

Lionheart (レオンハート), of course, means “lion-hearted.” Historically, it was the epithet of the King Richard I of England. While being Lionheart’s name, this was also the source of Richard’s title the Lion Prince of Mahl (マールの獅子王子)... though I will admit now that this was pretty lazy naming on my part.

The mamluks (マムルーク) were medieval Arab slave warriors renowned for their elite archery, who later conquered Egypt and Syria. Therefore, by calling Lionheart’s class “mamluk,” I wanted to convey the imagery of a strong, elite horseman leading his own unique regiment.

[Note: this was “Nomadic Trooper” in the TRS patch.]

Translator’s Additions

Names of People:

Playable:

Aegina: Αἴγινα, a nymph in Greek myth, the great-grandmother of Achilles and Ajax the Great.

Paramythis: Paramythia (Παραμυθιά, “comforter”) is an epithet of the Virgin Mary.

Perceval: also spelled Percival; knight of the Round Table

Bosses/NPCs:

Cordova: Cordova/Córdoba, a city in Spain that was historically the capital of a large Islamic state, the Emirate (and later Caliphate) of Córdoba.

Arcturus: a star in the constellation Boötes; called the “bear-watcher” in Greek astronomy, and むぎぼし (“wheat star”) in Japanese astronomy. Kaga says these names are meant to represent Arcturus’s character as both strong and reliable.

Zephyrus: Ζέφυρος, god of the western wind in Greek myth. Kaga notes elsewhere that this pseudonym was chosen for Friedrich because of the character’s desire to eventually return home to the west, even though it was impossible for so long.

Rasputin: Grigorij Yefimovič Rasputin (Григорий Ефимович Распутин), Russian mystic and advisor to Emperor Nicholas II, later assassinated by nobles worried about his influence, especially over Empress Aleksandra Fjodorovna.

Red Baron (Richthofen in the translation): Manfred von Richthofen, German lord and fighter pilot from WWI, nicknamed “the Red Baron” due to his status as a Freiherr (”baron”) and his plane that he famously painted red.

Wallenstein: Albrecht von Wallenstein (Albrecht z Valdštejna), supreme commander of the Holy Roman Empire’s military during the Thirty Years’ War

Krishna: कृष्ण, god of love and compassion in Hinduism. Also the name of a character from TearRing Saga 1.

Sakhalin: an island just north of Hokkaido, currently owned by Russia.

Shagaal: Chagall (シャガール), king of Agustria in FE4.

Chebyshev: Pafnutij L’vovič Čjebyšjov (Пафну́тий Льво́вич Чебышёв), a Russian mathematician.

Fermat: Pierre de Fermat, a French mathematician and lawyer.

Lebesgue: Henri Léon Lebesgue, a French mathematician

Palitzsch: Johann Georg Palitzsch, a German astronomer

Weyl: Hermann Klaus Hugo Weyl, a German mathematician and physicist

Euclid: Εὐκλείδης, an ancient Greek mathematician

Jung: Carl Gustav Jung, a Swiss psychologist

Grimm: possibly from the Brothers Grimm, German linguists and authors of Grimm’s Fairy Tales

Gibbs: possibly from Josiah Willard Gibbs, American physicist and chemist

Rodin: François Auguste René Rodin, a French sculptor

Wagner: possibly Wilhelm Richard Wagner, German composer, writer, and director, most famous for Der Ring des Nibelungen.

Windsor: the currently reigning dynasty of British monarchs, ultimately descended from the Germanic House of Wettin

Pizarro: Francisco Pizarro-González, Spanish conquistador

Eisenhower: Dwight David Eisenhower, general and 34th president of the United States.

Cromwell: Oliver Cromwell, major leader of the Parliamentarian side of the English Civil War

Rockefeller: John David Rockefeller Sr., American business magnate and philanthropist, and inflation-adjusted richest person in modern history.

Goebbels: Paul Joseph Goebbels, Minister of Propaganda for the Third Reich.

Goering: Hermann Wilhelm Göring, Vice-Chancellor of Germany during the Third Reich.

Mahatma: Mahātmā (महात्मा, “venerable”), a title most associated with Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

Gomorrah: עֲמֹרָה‎‎, one of the legendary cities destroyed by God in the Biblical book of Genesis.

ha-Yadh (”God Hand” in Japanese): הַיָד, Hebrew for “the hand.”

Enoch: חֲנוֹךְ, ancestor of Noah in Genesis, said to have “walked with God” rather than died. Subject of several apocryphal books.

Gilgamesh: 𒄑𒂆𒈦, a semi-historical ancient king of Sumer and protagonist of the Epic of Gilgamesh.

Nazgul: Nazgûl, the ringwraiths from The Lord of the Rings.

Manaclir: corruption of Manannán mac Lir, a sea god in Irish myth.

Urbanus IV: Urbanus (anglicized as Urban) has been the papal name of eight different popes.

Arless: Ares (Ἄρης), god of war in Greek myth

Alecto: Ἀληκτώ, goddess of unstoppable rage in Greek myth

Names of Places

Berwick Isle: Berwick-upon-Tweed, a historically long-disputed territory on the border between Scotland and England

Altesia (what the Lazberians call the continent of Lieberia): Artesia, the Latin name for the county of Artois, France.

Izmil: İzmir, the Turkish name of the city classical known as Smyrna

Leoglard: corruption of Beograd, the native name for Belgrade, the capital of Serbia

Diana: goddess of the moon and hunt in Roman myth, equivalent of Greek Artemis

Valemtine: corruption of Valentine, anglicized form of the name Valentinus

Mineva: possibly from Minerva, goddess of war and wisdom in Roman myth, equivalent of Greek Athena

Sinon: possibly from Sinon (Σίνων), a Greek spy from the Iliad who helped convince the Trojans to move the Trojan Horse into their city.

Danae: Danaë (Δανάη), mother of Perseus in Greek myth

Ausonia (one of the five marches): Αυσονία, the ancient Greek name for the southern Italian peninsula

Badonia: possibly from Badon Hill (Latin Mons Badonicus/Badonis, Welsh Mynydd Baddon), the legendary location of a battle of King Arthur against the invading Anglo-Saxons.

Lombard (one of the five marches): the Lombards, a Germanic tribe who conquered parts of Italy during the 6th century.

Anatolia (an unidentified location where certain wines are from): also called Asia Minor, an ancient region corresponding with modern central and western Turkey.

Wallachia (mentioned in the description of the Tiger Pelt item): one of the three major constituents of early Romania, alongside Transylvania and Moldavia.

Pyrene: the Pyrenees, a mountain range separating the Iberian Peninsula with the rest of continental Europe

Seydlitz: Frederich Wilhelm von Seydlitz, a general serving under Frederick II of Prussia; or the German WWI battle cruiser named after him, the SMS Seydlitz.

Fort Remagen: Remagen, a town in Germany famous for the Battle of Remagen in WWII, where Allied forces temporarily captured Ludendorff Bridge, one of the last bridges over the Rhine.

Myuhen: possibly from München, the German name of Munich.

Ruan: Rouen, capital of the Normandy region of France.

Ishs: possibly from Isis, goddess of motherhood and nature in Egyptian myth.

Item Names: Original (may or may not overlap with translation)

Knives:

Vespa: Latin for “wasp”

Crotalus: the scientific name for the rattlesnake genus, itself from Greek κρόταλον (”rattle”)

Swords:

Holy Sword Vritra (”Vritra” in the translation): serpent and adversary of Indra in Hinduism.

Sakushīdo/Succeed (”Nothung” in the translation): likely from the English word “succeed.”

Dangerous Blade Albatross (”Albatross” in the translation): from the legend about a sailor shooting an albatross, a bird thought to signify good luck, who was forced by his shipmates to wear the dead bird around his neck to ensure that only he received the bad luck from killing it.

Grimhildr: queen of Burgundy in Norse myth.

Lord Gram (”Gramr” in the translation): sword of the Germanic hero Sigurðr, used to kill the dragon Fáfnir.

Harperia: possibly from harpē (ἅρπη), a type of sickle-like sword in Greek myth, most famously used to castrate Cronus and kill Medusa.

Holy Sword Vajra (”Vajra” in the translation): means “diamond” or “thunderbolt”, the weapon of Indra in Hinduism

Adrasteia: Ἀδράστεια “inescapable”, the name of two different characters in Greek myth: a nymph who nursed Zeus, and a daughter of Ares and Aphrodite.

Balmung: the name for the sword Gramr (see above) given in the Nibelungenlied.

Spears

Brionac: a spear of the god Lugh in Irish myth

Phalanx (”Doru” in the translation): a type of ancient Greek heavy infantry famous for their battle formation, where shields would be arranged to make a wall lined with protruding spears.

Wotan Spear (”Angon” in the translation): Wotan, Old High German name of the god Odin (Óðinn) from Norse myth

Axes

Gigas Axe: γίγας, Greek for “giant.” Suitably, it’s only usable by Gigas Knights in the game.

Būji (”Bhuj” in the translation): possibly from bhuj (भुज), also called an axe-knife, a type of short- but wide-bladed weapon with a very long grip.

Thorhammer (”Mjollnir” in the translation): Thor, thunder god in Norse myth, who wielded the hammer Mjǫllnir.

Gullveig: a figure from Norse mythology who is killed three times, then reborn the third time as the powerful shamaness Heiðr.

Bows/Crossbows

Holy Bow Rossweisse (”Rossweisse” in the translation): Roßweiße, German for “white horse,” one of the eight valkyries in Richard Wagner’s opera Die Walküre.

Sylph Bow (”Killer Bow” in the translation): Sylph, wind elementals from classical alchemy, invented by Paracelsus.

Magic Bow Apeiron (”Apeiron” in the translation): ἄπειρον (”limitless”), a concept in certain ancient Greek cosmologies and philosophies.

Apollo Bow (”Argyrotoxus” in the translation): Apollo, god of light in Greek myth, twin brother of Artemis, goddess of the hunt

Otinus Crossbow (”Ollerus” in the translation): possibly a faux-latinization of Óðinn

Magic

Pallas Leia/Serenia/Riana: Pallas (Παλλὰς), an epithet of the Greek goddess Athena

Starlight: from Starlight in FE1/FE3

Janura (”Nosferatu” in the translation): from the Japanese words ja (蛇, “snake”) and nurunuru (ヌルヌル, “smooth, slippery”)

Scylla: Σκύλλα, a monster in Greek myth

Bau Crash (”Kishar’s Wrath” in the translation): possibly (but not likely) from Bau (𒀭𒁀𒌑, also called “Gula” by the Babylonians, among other names), goddess of healing from Akkado-Babylonian myth.

Shields

Ajax’s Shield (”Sakos Aiantos” in the translation): the shield of the Greek hero Ajax the Great in the Iliad, made of seven layers of oxhide and one of bronze. Most famously, it could even block the javelin of the Trojan hero Hector, which pierced only the first six layers.

Aspis: ἀσπίς, a heavy wooden shield used by ancient Greek infantry

Flame Shield Hestia (”Hestia” in the translation): Hestia, goddess of the hearth and architecture in Greek myth

Materials

Celica Steel (”Zerika Steel” in the translation): possibly from Celica, a protagonist in FE2/FE15

Toneriko Wood (”Ash Wood” in the translation): とねりこ, Japanese for the Manchurian ash tree, Fraxinus mandschurica.

Jugud Wood (”Yggdra Wood” in the translation): a reference to Jugdral, itself a reference to Yggdrasil, the world-tree in Norse myth

Tilia Wood (”Linden Wood” in the translation): Tilia, the genus name for linden/basswood trees.

Ichii Wood (”Yew Wood” in the translation): いちい, Japanese for the Japanese yew tree, Taxis cuspidata.

Antilope Skin (”Antelope Pelt” in the translation): Antilope, German for “antelope”

Schwein Skin (”Boar Pelt” in the translation): Schwein, German for “swine”

Stier Skin (”Bull Pelt” in the translation): Stier, German for “steer”

Löwe Skin (”Lion Pelt” in the translation): Löwe, German for “lion”

Tigris Skin (”Tiger Pelt” in the translation): tigris, Latin for “tiger”

Lúkos Skin (”Wolf Pelt” in the translation): λύκος, Greek for “wolf”

Simurgh Feather: sīmurğ (سیمرغ), a bird from Iranian myth

Ariadne Thread: Ἀριάδνη, a woman from Greek myth who helped Theseus traverse the Labyrinth using a spool of thread

Eye of Balor: Balor, king of the Fomorians in Irish myth, who had a third eye on his forehead that wrought destruction on any it looked at.

Item Names: Translation

Swords

Succeed → Nothung: the name of Gramr (see above) given in Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen. “Succeed” is a crappy name for a sword, and it’s Reese’s final weapon, so I wanted a theme naming with his earlier personal sword, Gramr.

Spears

Phalanx → Doru: δόρυ, the type of spear that Greek hoplites utilized in phalanx formation. Changed, naturally, because “phalanx” is a military formation/unit rather than a weapon.

Wotan Spear → Angon: Angon, a type of javelin used by Germanic peoples. I would’ve used “Gungnir,” since that’s the spear of Wotan/ Óðinn, but the Wotan Spear isn’t a high-tier weapon, or even the strongest thrown spear.

Bows/Crossbows

Sylph Bow → Killer Bow: I didn’t want to use “Sylph,” since there are wind-element weapons in Berwick Saga, but this isn’t one of them.

Magic Bow Aperion → Abaddon: Assuming “Aperion” is indeed a corruption of “Apollyon” (see above), I prefer the sound of the Hebrew name, Abaddon.

Apollo Bow → Argyrotoxus: Ἀργυρότοξος, an epithet of Apollo meaning “of the silver bow.”

Otinus Crossbow → Ollerus: Assuming “Otinus” is indeed a faux-latinization of “Óðinn,“ I didn’t think that Óðinn was a very fitting god to associate with a bow. Instead, I chose Ollerus, which is the latinization of the name of Ullr, Norse god of archery. As a bonus, Ullr/Ollerus is closely associated with Óðinn: during the episode where Óðinn is exiled for ten years for not being manly enough, Ullr is the one who rules the gods temporarily in his stead (during which time Ullr even uses the name Óðinn).

Gatling Bow → Chu-ko-nu: Following the tradition of the TRS1 translation, since guns aren’t in TRS, and Richard Gatling isn’t a TRS character.

Bren Crossbow → Rapid Crossbow: Similarly, guns aren’t in TRS, so “Bren” is out.

Dora → Espringal: While “ballista” and “scorpio” are both names of siege weapons, I have no idea what a “dora” is supposed to be... so I chose an actual one.

Dark Magic (I wanted the names of these spells to all be mythological references like they are in FE)

Black Meteo → Wormwood: a falling star that ruins the waters of the Earth in the Biblical book Revelation.

Berserk → Lyssa: Λύσσα, goddess of mad frenzy and rabies in Greek myth.

Sleep → Oneiroi: Ὄνειροι, the gods of dreams in Greek myth

Bau Crash → Kishar’s Wrath: Kišar (𒀭𒆠𒊹), the personified Earth in Babylonian myth. Since Bau (see above) is a goddess of motherhood rather than the earth, Kishar is more appropriate. I chose Kishar rather than the more ancient and well-established goddess Ki (also an earth goddess), since the name Ki is too short for players to reasonably identify. Even though I’m probably misunderstanding バウ as the goddess Bau, I stuck with it.

Janura → Nosferatu: to fit in line with FE’s Nosferatu; from adaptations of Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Tumahann → Saehrimnir: Sæhrímnir, the beast killed and eaten--then resurrected--by the Æsir and einherjar every evening in Norse myth. I wanted to use something bestial or related to eating, since this spell drains the EXP of its victim.

Hellworm → Jormungandr: to fit in line with FE’s Jormungandr; from Jǫrmungandr, the serpent surrounding Miðgarðr in Norse myth

Shields

Perushīda → Perseid: I’m not really sure what Perushīda is supposed to be, so I picked something that sounded close. The Perseids are a meteor shower occurring in late summer; named after the Perseid dynasty said to descend from the mythological hero Perseus

Ajax’s Shield → Sakos Aiantos: σᾰ́κος Αἴᾰντος, Epic Greek for “Ajax’s shield.” Fun Fact: Ajax’s shield in particular is called a sakos (”leather shield”) rather than an aspis (the general word for “shield”) in the Iliad. I didn’t want to use the English words, since I didn’t want to assert that Ajax was a person in the TRS universe. I’m even considering making it just Sakos, actually.

Fire-God Shield → Kojin Shield: Sanbō-Kōjin (三宝荒神, “wild god of the three treasures”), or just Kōjin, a Shinto god of fire, cooking, and the hearth. I used “Kōjin” rather than “Kagu-Tsuchi” (the god of fire in general) in order to nicely parallel the names of the related Fūjin Shield and Raijin Shield.

Accessories, etc.

Sun Charm → Dawn Charm: While the original name is a reference to the skill FE Sol, that name doesn’t fit with what the charm really does. It gives +10 Hit, so it makes it easier to see, hence “dawn.”

Meteor Charm → Dusk Charm: While the original name is a reference to the FE skill Astra, that name doesn’t fit with what the charm really does. It gives +10 Avoid, so it makes it harder be seen, hence “dusk.”

Moonlight Charm → Vanish Charm: While the original name is a reference to the FE skill Luna, that name doesn’t fit with what the charm really does. It activates the skill Hide, hence “vanish.”

Purgatory Bracelet → Gambler’s Brace: This brace lowers Hit and Avoid by 10 but increases Strength and Defense by 2, so it’s risky. I assume “purgatory” was meant to refer to the in-between-good-and-bad-for-you stat bonus given. The thing is, nobody who’s non-Catholic seems to understand that purgatory is a good place; hence, the old name is just plain dumb.

Ligan/Ishian Racehorse: These horses increase your Movement, hence “racehorse.”

Ligan Warhorse: This horse increases your Damage, hence “warhorse.”

Ishian/Sinonan Stallion: This horse increases your Speed, and the word “stallion” evokes an imagery of a wild, quick horse.

#yes i know this is disorganized and crazy you don't have to remind me

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dbamountaineer · 5 years ago

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Note: I do apologize for more than 6 months rest from writing my travel adventures, had been busy, but still got a chance to visit some cities in USA and even got a chance to return to Japan for a while. This post is a continuation of my previous post that focusing about Dotonbori.

Before leaving Dotonbori, I visited a museum which included in the Osaka Pass that I bought. Since I love museum, I was curious what to see inside of Kamigata Ukiyoe Museum.

One of the Ukiyoe Prints with the name of museum (sorry as it was blurred one)

Finding the museum was quite a challenge, I used my GPS in my phone and I knew that I was in front of it, but I was not sure since I did not see immediately the English Version name of the building (which can be seen only at one side) as I stand in the corner of it. The museum is a two-storey small and narrow building, because of that I had doubts if it’s the museum. Then, I entered the building and asked someone if it’s the museum that I was looking for, the Japanese lady confirmed to me that it was. Next, I showed my Osaka Pass to the lady in the counter and she exchanged it to a ticket. Then, I took upstairs to see the current exhibit displayed at that time.

Dotombori (Dotonbori)

As part of my learning in the museum, “Kamigata” refers to Kansai region where Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe belong but not used anymore when Emperor Meiji moved to Edo (now Tokyo).

Some of the display that I found describes the old days of Dotombori (Dotonbori). The exhibits displays the entertainment information of the area including theatre descriptions and maps. Here, I understood why Dotombori is called as Japanese Broadway, because the best theatres in the country can be found in the area. Other displays even shows how busy and festive Dotombori area at its earlier times.

Settsu Meisho Zue

Settsu Meisho Zue (illustrated famous-place picture collection which introduced Osaka’s famous place)

Detailed description of Dotombori

Kaomise at Dotombori (Naka-za Theatre)

Kaomise at Kado-za Theatre

Takeda-no-shibashi (Takeda Theatre)

A piece of history every time I discover it made me sad because a piece or part of history has been destroyed because of war. Below mentioned that almost all theatres were gone during the air raid in March 1945.

And the Best Theatres to see in Dotombori during its old days (where some of it still exist as of this time).

Ukiyoe Paintings (Prints)

Kamigata Ukiyoe Museum is a private museum and mainly focused to display traditional Ukiyo-e artwork depicting Kabuki performers. Kamigata Ukiyo-e was produced mainly in Osaka during Edo period. The museum changed their display from time to time. At the time of my visit, they are displaying ukiyo-e paintings with the theme of “Actor’s Make-up in Ukiyo-e paintings”. It means that the exhibits features the make-up of kabuki actors.

About Ukiyoe paintings

Paints Used for Ukiyoe paintings

Different color information used for Ukiyoe paintings

Ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese art which flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock prints and paintings of such subjects as female beauties; kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes from history and folk tales; travel scenes and landscapes; flora and fauna; and erotica. The term ukiyo-e (浮世絵) translates as “picture[s] of the floating world”.

–Wikipedia

Kokusenya Kassen

One of the display found in the exhibit was Kokusenya Kassen (The Battle of Coxinga) Ukiyoe print. It shows the puppet play created by Chikamatsu Monzaemon which portrays the historical figure named Koxinga or Coxinga (Chinese Ming loyalist resisted Qing) and depicts a jidaimono play (historical episode) restoring the rightful dynasty of China. Utagawa Yoshitaki (also known as Ichiyosai Yoshitaki) is a famous Japanese designer of ukiyoe woodblock prints in Osaka whom created more than 1200 ukiyoe prints during his time and commonly portrays kabuki (classic Japanese dance-drama) actors.

Kokusenya Kassen (The Battle of Coxinga)

Hagi wa Sendai Na wa Matsumoto (Matsumoto and the famous autumn flowers of Sendai)

The story of the play was said to be a rework of another play called “Meiboku sendai hagi” (Bush clover, the famous tree of Sendai) which dramatize the intrigues over the succession within Date clan of Sendai. One of the main character named Nikki Danjo conspired to overthrow Ashikaga (represents the Date Clan) Yorikane which in the end was slain. This was made by Shunkōsai Hokushū whom recognized as the most important artist in Osaka.

The ghostly rodent is actually Nikki in metamorphosis — he possesses magical powers, including the ability to turn himself into a giant rat. Nikki holds his hands in the manner associated with nercromancy as the rat emerges from his human form (note the lighter shading of the tail and hindquarters, indicating that the transformation is still in progress). Nikki is a prime example of an important role type known as jitsuaku (or tategataki) — unrepentant evil samurai who plot to overthrow their lords. They are also referred to as kuni kuzushi (“demolisher of nations”) to signify their intention to usurp an emperor’s throne or a daimyô’s domain.

The rat clenches with his teeth a scroll containing a list of conspirators planning to wrest power from Yorikane. Later, pretending to have reformed, Nikki will substitute another list and offer it as trumped-up evidence of the conspiracy, only to remove a dagger hidden within the scroll and mortally wound a counsel and ally of Yorikane’s son.

–osakaprints.com

Hagi wa Sendai Na wa Matsumoto (Matsumoto and the famous autumn flowers of Sendai)

Arashi Rikan Lineage by Yoshikuni

Arashi Rikan Lineage by Yoshikuni (Portrait of different roles of Arashi Rikan)

Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura (Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees)

Sato Tadanobu, Yoshisune’s follower who has accompanied Yoshisune’s lover, Shizuka Gozen, is in fact a fox. It has transformed into Sato Tadanobu because the drum-head of Yoshitsune’s drum was made from the fox’s parent’s skin. Finally. Shizuka Gozen finds it out.

–Kamigata Ukiyoe Museum

One of the three most popular and famous in the Kabuki repertoire

— Wikipedia

Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura

Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami (Sugawara and the Secrets of Calligraphy)

Same with Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura (above) ukiyoe, Sugawara Denjun Tenarai Kagami is one of the most popular play in kabuki repertoire. In the act III of this play where it titled as “The Struggle for the Carriage (Kurumabiki)”.

This famous scene, “a classic example of Kabuki’s stylized beauty”,[13] takes place in front of the Yoshida Shrine in Kyoto. The scene opens as Umeōmaru and Sakuramaru try to stop Shihei’s carriage, and are confronted by Matsuōmaru, a member of the entourage. As the pair begin to unlash the oxen and tear apart the carriage, Shihei emerges, his blue face makeup marking him as a villain. He glares at them malevolently, halting their attack.

–Wikipedia

Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami

Shinpan Kikugoro Zukushi

Shinpan Kikugoro Zukushi (created by Kuniyasu)

The memorial performance for Danzuo IV

Is a 9/1824 tsuizen-e depicting Ichikawa Danzo V (1788-1845) on the stage of the Kado Theater commemorating the 17th anniversary of the passing of his celebrated forebear Danzo IV (1745-1808). The 17th anniversary (actually falling in the 16th year, due to the way Japanese count such things) is an important milestone in ancestor worship. Beyond that date the deceased’s generation is understood to seriously drop off in numbers; so does interest, one can assume, even within a family.

Danzo IV (known as Shiko) had the final curtain drawn on him before single sheet Osaka printmaking had reached its flowering.* Perhaps this is one reason why Umetatsu (n.d.), an otherwise unrecorded artist, inserted him so strongly, peering down in ferocious mie from inside the triple black frame — actually the mimasu crest of the Ichikawa acting family.

Also of interest is the jaw line of the kneeling Danzo V. Thanks to regional differences in actor portraiture, the same thespian’s face was usually drawn thin and angular in Edo and soft and pudgy in Osaka.

In this case, though the print lists an Osaka publisher, Danzo V’s visage (pointedly sans make-up) betrays the narrower Edo look.

One possible reason may lie in the first part of Umetatsu’s signature — “Azumaya,” or “Easterner.” If the artist was visiting from Edo, (where he presumably would have used a different name, and where, incidentally, both Danzos were hugely celebrated), that could explain both the obscurity of the signature, and the actor’s severe jaw line.

It might also explain the rarity of this print. True, Danzo V was not performing in Osaka at the time, but one would still expect a special Ichikawa lineage tribute image like this to sell well. Perhaps Osakans reacted particularly negatively to the cut of his jaw.

–OsakaPrints.com

The memorial performance for Danzuo IV

Azumakagami Mikari no Maki

The Ukiyoe print shown below is portion of the play of Azumakagami Mikari no Maki designed by Syunko.

Azuma Kagami is medieval text chronicles events of the Kamakura Shogunate from Minamoto no Yoritomo’s rebellion against Taira clan. It was compiled after 1266 under the directive of the Hojo shikken. It is an enormously detailed record of different activities centering on the shōgun with almost daily entries that include even notes on the weather.

–Wikipedia

Azumakagami Mikari no Maki

Hadekurabe Ise Monogatari

Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami (Sugawara and the Secrets of Calligraphy)

From the scene IV of the play Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami, a print depicts the scene from Tempaizan (Mount Tempai). The ukiyoe print designed by Syunko

Kan Shojo who is leading his quiet life in exile goes to Anrakuji temple to hear the story that the ume (plum) tree that he loved in Kyoto came flying overnight. Umeomaru arrives at the scene and tells Kan Shojo about Fujiwara no Shihei’s conspiracy in Kyoto. Kan Shojo transforms into a thunder spirit from anger and ascends to heaven.

–Kamigata Ukiyoe Museum

Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami by Syunko

Tenmangu Natane no Gokuh (The Rapeseed Offerings at Tenmangu Shrine)

The ukiyoe print was based from pure kabuki play entitled Tenmangu Natane no Gokuh which is one of the play that was written more to exploit the principles of feudal loyalty than to depict court romances.

–Rising from the Flames: The Rebirth of Theater in Occupied Japan, 1945-1952

The print displays the Kabuki actor Nakamura Shikan III is in the role of magician Ki no Haseo in the play, “Tenmangu Natane no Goku” performed at Naka Theater. The print designed by Utagawa Sadaihiro, a Japanese artist that produced portraits from the beginning of his career. He was said to be a student of Kunisada, but then changed his name to Hirosada and became student under Sadamasu. He was active artist from 1830 to 1850.

Nakamuraza Sankai no Zu (The Third Floor of the Nakamura Theater)

Another ukiyoe displayed was made by Utagawa Kunisada, the most popular and most commercially successfully designer of ukiyoe during 19th century in Japan. The print depicts the kabuki actors in the third floor of Nakamura Theater.

Nakamuraza Sankai no Zu (The Third Floor of the Nakamura Theater)

The museum also showcases a display and information of the old Dotonbori. Through exhibits, it can learned that Dotonbori was a large scale entertainment district and the south side of Dotonbori called as “play side”. Dotonbori has not only kabuki theaters, but also as puppet theaters, and even place for acrobatics or sumo matches. “Settsu Meisho Zue” (1796-1798) the picture collection of Osaka’s famous place illustrates famous places, temples, shrines, events, customs, and traditions in the particular area.

Other stuff that found being exhibit in the museum are below:

Notes : Plan to visit Osaka ? Please check latest information here. Location : Osaka, Japan Directions / Transportation to Osaka : 1. For official access to Osaka coming from anywhere in Japan, please check here. Official Website : Osaka Info

Plan to visit Kamigata Ukiyoe Museum? Please check latest information here. Location : 1-chōme-6-4 Nanba, Chūō-ku, Osaka, 542-0076, Japan Directions / Transportation to Kamigata Ukiyoe Museum: 1. For trains, there are four Namba Stations where different train lines stops near Dotonbori. a. Take Yamatoji Line for JR Namba Station or b. Take Hanshin-Namba or Kintetsu Limited Express or Kintetsu-Nara Line for Osaka-Namba Station or c. Take Modosuji Line or Sen-Nichimae Line or Yotsubashi Line (all subway lines) for Namba Station or d. Take Nankai Line or Nankai-Koya Line or Nankain Limited Express for Namba Station 2. From different station, follow the walking path towards Kamigata Ukiyoe Museum 3. For official access link, please refer here. Official Website : Kamigata Ukiyoe Museum, Dotonbori

Visiting Kamigata Ukiyoe Museum (Part 3 of 3) Note: I do apologize for more than 6 months rest from writing my travel adventures, had been busy, but still got a chance to visit some cities in USA and even got a chance to return to Japan for a while.

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rolandfontana · 6 years ago

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The Superpredator Myth: It’s Still Alive Behind Bars

There is a strange parallel between the history of the so-called “superpredator” and the conception of “dope fiends.”

Not too long ago, “superpredator” became the favored word of some criminologists to describe the emergence of what was considered a dangerous threat to public safety in the U.S. A ruthless criminal concealed within the body of an adolescent male, he was often black, and his habitat was the inner city.

Violent criminal conduct was a unique, and terrifying, behavioral characteristic of these young beasts. When captured, the mantra “Adult Time for Adult Crime” supported sentencing them as if they were just as culpable as their fully matured counterparts.

Similarly, a much older phrase, “dope fiend” came back into use to describe those superpredators immersed in the world of illicit drugs. The stereotype was just as brutal: He (usually a he) was conceived to be a hedonistic, nihilistic hybrid, usually having dark skin, who sometimes spoke with a Hispanic accent.

Committing crimes to support his narcotic addition was a favorite pastime. And just as in the case of violent superpredators, he was the target of the “tough on crime” policies that sent so many young black men to prison in the 1980s and 1990s for long stretches of confinement.

Fast forward to 2019.

Now, there’s a broad consensus among criminologists that the so-called superpredator is better understood as a youth whose crimes more often than not reflect transient immaturity rather than irreparable corruption, and whose skin complexions encompass the color spectrum. The U.S. Supreme Court and last year, the Washington State Supreme Court, relied upon the attendant neurodevelopmental research findings to invalidate some of the harshest penalties for the kinds of juvenile offenders once written off as unreformable superpredators.

Even heinous crimes committed by young people are now viewed through a prism that mitigates their culpability.

I was once in the superpredator category myself. I received a life-without-parole sentence for my involvement in a murder at age 14—a crime that I have regretted ever since.

But the courts’ new approach gave me—and many others in similar situations—a path for hope. My sentence was amended retroactively, and I was given an opportunity to be freed. I received mercy.

But the stereotyped “dope fiend” version of the superpredator still stunts the lives of thousands of inmates in U.S. prisons today who were sentenced for crimes committed when they were young—despite a growing body of research that has made that version anachronistic.

For one thing, opioid addiction is no longer, sadly confined, to the poor young person of color.

We all realize that the opioid epidemic in America has destroyed the lives of soccer moms and rural white teenagers just as much as it has youths in the inner city.

The broad consensus that dealing with this crisis requires a public health approach rather than criminal justice machinery has spread to policymakers at federal, state and local levels.

But not to prisons.

All too often, these ameliorative approaches are only being implemented at the front end of the criminal justice system. Unlike former superpredators such as myself, mercy has yet to be applied retroactively to the sentences of opioid addicts imprisoned while they were young. Their lives are untouched by the contemporary recognition that their crimes were not simply a product of free will, opportunity and a rational calculus.

The case of Corey Irish provides one illustration of why such former drug “superpredators” should receive relief—notwithstanding the fact that their crimes occurred long before overdosed bodies began to pile up in refrigerator trucks from West Virginia to Ohio.

Drugstore Robbery

Late in the evening of April 23, 2007, in Tacoma, Wash., Daniel Garibay was just about to turn away from the customer he finished serving through the drive‑through window at Walgreen’s pharmacy when he heard a loud thump on the floor behind him.

He would never forget the sound.

“I mean, I’d never heard something like that,” he testified, according to trial transcripts.

The sound was Corey Irish landing on the floor after he leapt over the counter. The young man immediately began demanding drugs by their generic and non-generic names.

“When he first jumped in, at first he asked for Percocet, Oxycodone, and Vicodin…then it seemed like he just wanted anything,” Garibay told the jury during Irish’s trial in Pierce County Superior Court.

He was stunned when Irish pulled out two trash bags and told Garibay to fill them up. According to Garibay, “They looked like forceflex bags. He told me which drugs he wanted, and then he asked me to put them in the bags after I opened the cabinet.”

Meanwhile, Irish’s accomplice, who stood guard over the other two employees after flashing a gun in his waist line and corralling them into the stockroom, kept apologizing.

“I’m sorry I have to do this, you know…Just be quiet,” Jeanelle O’Dell recounted the accomplice saying as he made her kneel on the floor.

‘He kept apologizing for what he was doing’

Mike Staten also recalled, “He kept apologizing for what he was doing, saying he wanted to be in and out.”

Back in the pharmacy, Garibay had moved on to filling up a third garbage bag that Irish made him get after the two that Irish brought with him were filled to capacity. Ten minutes elapsed from the loud thump Irish made when he landed behind the counter to when he finally lifted the bags filled with childproof bottles, summoned his accomplice from the stockroom, and began to leave with his haul of prescription narcotics.

The police arrived before the men escaped from the scene. Irish was arrested with the bags of OxyContin, Percocet, Valium and Vicodin, and everything in between. His accomplice fled empty-handed and was never apprehended by the police.

During the closing arguments of Irish’s trial, Sunni Ko, the deputy prosecuting attorney, rhetorically asked the jury, “Ladies and gentlemen, again, what do you think he was going to do with three bags of drugs? Do you think that he was going to keep them in his room and have it for personal use for the rest of his life?”

The notion that an addiction to prescription medication was powerful enough to make anyone do such a thing stretched belief. His intent was obviously to distribute the pills for profit, Ko argued to the jury.

The jury agreed.

At sentencing, Irish, who met the DSM-IV-TR criteria for opioid dependency, explained to the judge, “We wasn’t trying to hurt anybody. We just wanted some pills. And besides…I do pop pills, constantly. That’s why—not making excuses on any of that—but I mean, I do have a problem.

“Whether it was one bottle or 100 bottles I took, it was going to be a robbery anyway, so I mean, a thousand apologies, especially to the victims.”

His mother, a high school teacher, told the judge how she had tried to convince her son to get treatment before the crime occurred. His aunt, an assistant mayor, also implored the court, writing, “Corey needs the opportunity to enter a program where he can receive help for the drug problem and counseling to get to the root of his problems.”

The judge empathized with Irish’s family, but she had no sympathy for Irish.

He was sentenced to spend the next quarter century in the care of the Washington Department of Corrections—a prison term that exceeds the minimum sentence a defendant would serve for committing premeditated murder.

The Paradigm Shift

Criminal justice officials in Ohio probably would not be surprised upon hearing that someone tried to steal garbage bags filled with prescription pills from a pharmacy in a robbery. There, the opioid epidemic is so devastating that the foster care system has been overwhelmed by children who have become the detritus of addicted parents.

Tom Synan, Newtown Ohio’s Police Chief, has come to believe that addiction should no longer be considered a crime.

“It took 70,000 people to die before society shifted its opinion on opioid addiction,” he observed during a symposium sponsored by The Washington Post, headlined Addiction in America, The New War on Drugs.

Experts on substance use disorders who have tracked the etiology of opioid addiction would also see a familiar theme with respect to how Irish went from being a supervisor at a fabrication company to the perpetrator of a drug store robbery.

After suffering a back injury in 2006, he was prescribed OxyContin during a period when pharmaceutical companies where downplaying its addictive properties, financial incentives led doctors to over-prescribe opioid pain medications, and the naive failed to perceive the signs of misuse and abuse going on around them because addicts did not fit the stereotypical image of a dope fiend.

They resided in the heartland.

They worked and went to church on Sundays.

They weren’t dark-skinned and had no accent.

During the 12 years that have elapsed since Irish was confined, legions of young men and women went from pilfering their parents’ pills when they were teenagers and snorting them with friends to shooting heroin. Nurses have lost their jobs for stealing narcotics from their elderly patients. Countless men and women have lost custody of their children.

Let us pause for a moment to reflect on the crack epidemic, the policies it generated, and the character attacks on the addicts. Whether America learned from these mistakes or the socio-demographic and white complexion of many contemporary opioid addicts brought enlightenment with respect to this latest drug epidemic, I can only guess.

In any case, the criminal justice system is already bursting at the seams due to mass incarceration. It therefore comes as no surprise to me that officials have lost the appetite to use demonization and imprisonment as expedients for dealing with the opioid epidemic—especially since the problem exists within their own communities.

I can imagine policymakers deliberating about establishing drug courts, implementing diversion programs, and funding more treatment centers now that a drug epidemic is not confined to the inner city.

“These people need help. They have a disease. We can’t just lock them up and throw away the key,” I can hear them saying.

Left Out

But those still confined before these sentiments affected the criminal justice system are seemingly left out of such discussions.

Recall that retribution was warranted because it was believed that these people were driven solely by their criminogenic needs. Their addictions, in and of itself, manifested they had little interest in being a part of law-abiding society.

But that was the past. The scientific consensus that opioid addiction is a disease undermines the deterrent and retributive purposes of punishment in these cases, leaving only incapacitation for rehabilitation.

Regardless, those confined before this paradigm shift have got nothing coming. Far too many of them present unsympathetic images due to their current convictions and dark skin complexions.

But make no mistake about it: If 10,000 soccer moms were languishing in prison for pulling capers to obtain prescription pain medication, lawyers would be battling to get them executive clemency or, alternatively, judicial relief based on arguments that these new socio-medical findings satisfy the legal standard for newly discovered evidence and warrant resentencing hearings to present mitigating factors in support of reducing their prison sentences.

Jeremiah Bourgeois

That said, it remains a mystery how many years will pass before policymakers provide relief to those locked away in penitentiaries because their disease drove them to commit crimes to secure more—and more—prescription pain medication.

Until then, Corey Irish will continue serving out a sentence that exceeds the minimum term that is imposed on those who commit premeditated murder.

Jeremiah Bourgeois is a regular contributor to The Crime Report, and a recent graduate of Adams State University, where he earned an interdisciplinary degree in criminology and legal studies. Since 1992, he has been confined in Washington State for crimes that he committed at age fourteen. He is currently petitioning for release. Readers who wish to support him are invited to sign up here. He welcomes comments.

The Superpredator Myth: It’s Still Alive Behind Bars syndicated from https://immigrationattorneyto.wordpress.com/

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